Ross County begin their efforts to clinch a great escape when they host Livingston in their first post-split fixture on Saturday.
The Staggies are rock bottom of the Premiership, with four points separating them from both Kilmarnock and Dundee United.
Malky Mackay’s men are eagerly looking to restore confidence, after they suffered a chastening 6-1 loss to Hearts in their last outing.
The Dingwall men have five games remaining, as they aim to prolong their four-year stay in the top flight.
Being pitched against their bottom of the table rivals adds to the pressure to pick up points, knowing they can ill afford to lose any further ground.
It is equally an opportunity for them as it gives them the chance to disadvantage the teams they are competing with for Premiership survival.
It is 22 years since the split first took place, in what was then a newly-expanded 12-team division in the millennium season.
Of all the teams who have gone into the split in bottom place since then, the 11 point haul claimed by St Mirren has still been unmatched.
That was still not enough to keep the Buddies up as Dundee United won their final four games to clinch survival.
If the Staggies are to succeed in their relegation battle, they will have to reverse a recent trend. The last 12 teams who have been bottom approaching the split have all suffered demotion.
Livingston and Falkirk have shown path to survival
County do have places to look for inspiration in their efforts to claw back the deficit however.
In 2005, Livingston found approached the split bottom of the table on goal difference under the management of Richard Gough.
A return of eight points from five matches proved enough for Livi to finish 10th, with Dundee eventually going down on a dramatic final day of action in which the two sides – along with Dunfermline and Dundee United – could all have been relegated.
More final day thrills came about four years later, when Caley Thistle hosted Falkirk in a relegation shoot-out.
Inverness needed just a point to survive, however Michael Higdon’s second half winner sent them down at the Bairns’ expense.
It was an excellent turnaround by a Falkirk side – managed by future Inverness and County boss John Hughes – who had trailed Caley Jags by four points going into the split. Notably, that is the same margin by which the Staggies presently find themselves adrift.
Play-offs have added a further hurdle
The introduction of the relegation play-off for the 11th placed side in 2014 added another layer of danger for Premiership sides.
Aside from the aforementioned Livi and Falkirk sides, only once has a side approaching the split in bottom spot avoided that placing come the end of the season.
In the case of Partick Thistle in 2018, the Jags were able to overhaul a one-point deficit behind County – which ended the Staggies’ then six-year Premiership stay.
That was to come as no solace to Thistle however, as the Glasgow outfit went on to suffer play-off defeat to Livingston to join the Dingwall men in the second-tier.
Having finished in the top half last season, County were spared the drama of any late survival drama at the business end of the season.
They had to dig deep under the management of Hughes two years ago when they required a return of 10 points – including three straight wins to finish – in order to achieve 10th spot.
A similar haul this time around would give the Staggies a fighting chance, however unlike that season it is they who have the task of clawing back ground.
How have the teams who have been bottom going into the split fared?
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