Liam Gordon is adamant St Johnstone will not panic after being dragged back into a relegation battle.
The Perth men looked comfortable just a couple of months ago as they chased a place in the top six while other teams near the bottom struggled for form.
But after failing to win any of their last seven games, they go into the post-split fixtures having allowed 10th-placed Dundee United and 11th-placed Kilmarnock to close to within two points of them, while they are just six points clear of last-placed Ross County.
Captain Gordon – whose side needed a relegation play-off to survive last term – is adamant he and his colleagues will not allow the renewed threat to their cinch Premiership status to spook them.
“It’s not rocked us at all,” he said ahead of Saturday’s showdown with United at McDiarmid Park. “It’s obviously a position we didn’t want to find ourselves in because of the position we were in (recently) but these things happen in football.
“We had a couple of poor weeks and we find ourselves in this situation and it’s up to ourselves to get out of it but I wouldn’t say we’re rocked at all.
“We know the task at hand, we’re all prepared and we’re ready to do it. The pressure is always high at any stage of the season but obviously it is coming to crunch time.
“We’ve got five cup finals left, and it’s not just us who will be looking at it like that. But if we apply ourselves the way we know we can and keep to the level of performance we put in against Hibs (in the recent 1-1 draw), we should be good.”
Gordon has been impressed by the manner in which his former team-mate Steven MacLean has handled himself since stepping up to become interim manager following the sacking of Callum Davidson last month.
“He’s been really good,” said the defender. “He’s obviously been in a coaching role for a while so he’s got that experience under his belt but he’s always been very knowledgeable, you could see that from the way he played the game himself.
“He had a great understanding of the game, he was a very clever player. He’s obviously his own man and he’s putting his own ideas across, and the players are really buying into it and enjoying it.
“We’ve had a couple of good training weeks and the Hibs game was a good performance, so it’s been all positive. The boys are upbeat and we’re ready for the fight.”
Rangers 4-1 Kilmarnock: Gers come from behind to keep pressure on Celtic
Rangers came from behind to beat 10-man Kilmarnock 4-1 at Ibrox on Sunday to keep the pressure on Scottish Premiership title rivals Celtic.
After Celtic thumped Hearts 3-0 on Saturday, it looked like the Bhoys' title charge could receive a further boost when James Tavernier put through his own net with 12 minutes gone at Ibrox after Liam Polworth's cross was nudged back across goal by Matty Kennedy.
However, Kilmarnock's Joe Wright was sent off for handling Dujon Sterling's goalbound effort shortly after, and though Tavernier's resulting spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Will Dennis, Rangers did get themselves back on level terms deep into first-half stoppage time as Fabio Silva turned home John Lundstram's cross.
Ben Davies then bundled the hosts into the lead with 62 minutes on the clock after Dennis fumbled Lundstram's long-range effort into the defender's path, before substitute Tom Lawrence extended Rangers' lead with a delightful strike from outside the box.
John Souttar sealed the win in the dying seconds with a close-range header, moving Rangers three points behind Celtic ahead of the crucial Old Firm next Saturday.
Celtic 3-0 Hearts: Kyogo sends hosts six points clear of Rangers
Kyogo Furuhashi scored twice in the first half as Celtic defeated Hearts 3-0 on Saturday to move six points clear of rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Rangers host Kilmarnock on Sunday for their game in hand, but Celtic, who also have a better goal difference, remain in control of the title race as things stand.
Celtic will then host Rangers in next week's pivotal Old Firm derby.
Lawrence Shankland almost gave Hearts a dream start when his effort deflected just wide in the opening minute, but from that point on, despite some strong spells of play in the opening half, they never looked likely to record what would have been their third consecutive win over Celtic.
Kyogo had Celtic two goals up inside 21 minutes in a hammer blow to Hearts, who are all but certain to finish in third place this season.
A Matt O'Riley penalty three minutes from time ended any faint hopes of a Hearts comeback, sealing a result that puts further pressure on Rangers.
Data Debrief: O'Riley key to Celtic success
Kyogo's early header was set up by Reo Hatate, while it was O'Riley who set up the second goal with a superb pass that the Japan international met with a first-time finish.
O'Riley, who later added his penalty, now has 14 goals and 12 assists in the Premiership this season. His goal tally is the highest of any Celtic player, while the creative total is the best in the whole league.
Dundee 1-2 Celtic: Forrest brace restores Hoops' three-point lead at SPL summit
James Forrest scored twice as Celtic regained their three-point cushion at the Scottish Premiership summit with a narrow 2-1 victory over Dundee.
Rangers had applied the pressure earlier in the day with a 2-1 win at St Mirren, moving Philippe Clement's side level on points with the Hoops.
Although, Celtic did not twitch with Forrest volleying them ahead on the half-hour mark, before doubling their lead in the 67th minute.
Antonio Portales pulled a goal back for Dundee seven minutes later with his first league strike of the season, but the visitors held on to pull clear at the top once more with five games remaining.
Data debrief
Returning to the starting line-up today, Forrest's double separated the sides as he found the net more than once in a game for the first time since scoring a hat-trick against Hibernian in October 2022.
Celtic have now won their last 10 league matches against Dundee and are unbeaten in 43 meetings overall since a 2-0 defeat in May 2001, only enjoying a longer such streak against Dumbarton (50).
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