Ross County manager Jim McIntyre is bracing himself for a final day Scottish Premiership survival showdown at Kilmarnock.
The Staggies require four points from their last two matches to ensure they avoid the relegation play-off position.
The prospect of both County and Killie requiring just a point from their match at Rugby Park a week on Saturday has prompted suggestions both teams could play for a draw to guarantee Motherwell finish in 11th place.
However, McIntyre dismissed any possibility of a final day “carve-up”, saying this weekend’s home fixture against Hamilton is the first of two his side will be going out to win.
McIntyre said: “I think it will go to the last game of the season, I’ve felt that all along and I think that’s what will happen.
“If we get four points we’re safe and that’s our approach but we’ll be going out to win both matches.
“That’s the way we’ve got to think of it because otherwise we’re assuming we have three points in the bag from Saturday.
“All we can do is play the games in front of us and try to win. If we can beat Hamilton, that could be enough – but the goal difference could then come into play.
“If it was to remain five goals of a difference between ourselves and Motherwell going into the last day, a 2-0 and a 3-0 either way could level it and that can happen.
“So the way we have got to approach it is to just go out and try to win every match because the margins are so tight in every game.
“Given the great run of eight wins from nine games we went on it was easy for people outside the club to think we were safe but we’ve never thought that.
“At this level if we’re even just a tiny bit off it we can get beat.”
McIntyre is still struggling to comprehend how his side was defeated 2-1 by St Mirren on Saturday in a match County dominated.
The manager has called on the Staggies to improve their finishing but optimistic a similar performance against Hamilton on Saturday will be enough to secure a victory.
McIntyre added: “Last weekend was the most we’ve dominated a game since I came to the club.
“I think if we produced the same performance again we’d win the match.
“Sometimes we just have to look at ourselves but when we analysed the game back we were better than we thought. It was one of those games we walked away wondering how we lost it.
“If we can play like that against Hamilton then I think we’d have a great chance of winning.”