Ross County’s last victory against St Johnstone brought the season to life and manager Jim McIntyre hopes another success against Saints can kickstart a surge towards the top-six.
The Staggies ended a 10-game winless run when they defeated St Johnstone 4-2 at McDiarmid Park in November, a result which moved County off the foot of the Premiership and was the start of a five-match unbeaten streak.
With just a point separating County from sixth-placed Kilmarnock, McIntyre, pictured, knows another victory against the Perth side could be crucial. He said: “It was a great result for us, we played particularly well and showed a ruthless side. That’s something we need to do for the rest of the season if we are going to achieve top six. We need to get back to being more ruthless and making the games more comfortable with chances we create.”
Neither side has recorded a home victory in the fixture in the last six meetings since County won 1-0 at Victoria Park in April 2015.
Despite fifth-placed Saints enjoying a 10-point lead on the Staggies, McIntyre reckons fine margins will determine who comes out on top this afternoon. He added: “It has been peculiar how it has worked out like that, with the away team doing well in this fixture.
“The squads are very similar. St Johnstone do a lot of things well, but it is a big game for us.
“St Johnstone have a decent mix of players with a bit of flair in wide areas and a good goal-scorer in Steven McLean.
“They have what I would class as steady players in their team who they can rely on. We know we’re more than capable of beating St Johnstone but they are capable of beating us.
“It is about starting the game well and making sure we do the right things and keep concentration levels high.”
