A look ahead to tonight’s Scots Premiership matchup
(Credit: Peter Mackay)
St Mirren are travelling to Dingwall to take on second bottom Ross County tonight in the SPFL in a big game for both teams.
The Staggies will be hoping to push on from their big win 3-2 game against Livingston at the weekend, but come up against a strong St Mirren team who beat them 2-0 earlier this season in Paisley.
Ross County have won the past six home league games against St Mirren but have struggled this season and have dismissed two managers already.
Sitting second bottom and only six points above Livingston at the bottom of the table, which does not grantee top flight safety as finishing there would incur a play off with a championship team.
However, a win tonight would lift them above St Johnstone in tenth.
Ross Mackay, a journalist who runs County fan site the Staggies View, said: “It certainly feels like a big game, it’s on Sky Sports tonight which makes the matter bigger for the players.
“It’s a real chance to after Don Cowie’s first win [as interim manager] in charge at the weekend.
“It’s a massive opportunity to lift ourselves out the bottom to which could be huge in the long run.
“If you offer me a point right now I’d probably take it, obviously a win would be ideal to try and get out that bottom two place.
“But I think it’s so important that we can find some momentum, all season we’ve failed to capitalise on good performances and it’s getting to a point were playing well against teams isn’t doing enough for us.”
The Buddies have been performing well this season however, sitting at fifth place in the table a win tonight could see them go 11 points ahead of Hibs in seventh, making a top six position tantalisingly close.
But a victory tonight would also seem them displace Kilmarnock in fourth, putting them in a solid position to challenge for qualification for Europe, having been absent from the competition since 1987.
Mechanical engineer and lifelong St Mirren fan Greig Martin, 55, seen the Buddies the last time they visited the continent in a 0-0 draw with Belgians KV Mechelen in the old European Cup Winners Cup competition.
Martin said: “[The] Saints haven’t won at Ross County for about two and a half years, but the team are doing really well right now.”
“[On the prospect of European football] It’s been a long time and it’s something a lot of us would want to see again.”
“European competition has changed so much since, it’s not as easy as it was.
Martin added: “You look at the way Dundee Utd went [in 20x], they were looking really good early in the season then they went to Alkmaar in the Netherlands and got absolutely hammered, they never recovered from that season and ended up getting relegated.
“I would love to see Saints playing in Europe again, I think we’ll need to be ready for it, if it doesn’t happen this season I’m okay about that as long as it’s building up for next season.
Ross County v St Mirren kicks of at 20:00 and can be seen on Sky Sports.
