Ross County manager Jim McIntyre has urged his players to ignore what is happening at their rivals at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
The Staggies travel to Dundee United tomorrow and they could be in the position of still having their seven-point lead on St Mirren but also have a game in hand should the Buddies lose at home to Celtic tonight.
Victory for County would open up a 10-point gap at the bottom but, with all the clubs in action in midweek, the manager knows the next 10 days could be pivotal.
He said: “Obviously, after every game the managers at the bottom of the league will be looking to see how the others got on. But it’s not something we can affect until we play each other, so that’s why I always say concentrate on what’s in front of you.
“We’re coming into a period where there is less opportunity for the losing side in any game to respond because you’re running out of games.
“It is a crucial period in the calendar – the nitty-gritty we’re getting into now – and more so just before we go into the split.
“The picture can change very quickly and, having three games in a week, is a chance for all of the sides at the bottom to put down a marker and try to change the picture. We know other clubs will be trying to do that and, likewise, so will we.”
County face a United side which has gone off the boil in the last six weeks following a run of two draws and six defeats in all competition.
The Tangerines’ last win came in the Scottish Cup at Stranraer on February 8 but McIntyre insists Jackie McNamara’s men are still a force to be reckoned with.
He said: “You just need to see what United have achieved in the last couple of seasons. They’ve got players of quality.
“They will be desperate to get back on track, so, if anything, it makes the game harder for us.
“We’re going there in good spirits. We know we’re doing a lot of things well. But we’re certainly not going to Tannadice over-confident. We know exactly what it is going to take to try and get a result.”
Captain Richie Brittain, midfielder Rocco Quinn and defender Ben Frempah are back in full training but will not be considered for the trip to Tannadice.
McIntyre said: “They need more games. Rocco never played in the development league because he had a tight hamstring but he will play tomorrow against St Johnstone’s reserves, as will Richie. We can clearly see they need games.”