Manager Alex Dyer insists Kilmarnock’s home game against chasing St Mirren has to be won for fears they will get dragged further towards the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership.
The Rugby Park club have lost three and drawn one of their last four league matches, their most recent defeat coming against Hamilton last week.
And with three games to go before the split, the Ayrshire outfit are eighth, four points behind sixth-placed Hibernian and six ahead of Accies, who are in the relegation play-off spot, with bottom-side Hearts a further four points behind.
Against a Buddies side fresh from a morale-boosting win over Hearts in midweek, boss Dyer wants any pressure eased.
He said: “I am concerned because, yes, we are near the bottom. We are only four points from them so tomorrow is an important game, a big game for this football club.
“It is another tough game that we want to win and have to win.
“The boys are playing well. I think we have been unlucky in certain parts but we have played well. But we need to turn those good performances into results for us. Hopefully we will win the game.
“Last week we were unlucky. We dominated the game, created a lot of chances, didn’t put them away and conceded a late penalty.
“But the players want it. I would never say they don’t want it. I have no worries about their attitude, it has been good since I’ve been in charge.
“I would be a bit more disappointed if we weren’t creating chances but we have and we have played well. We just need to turn those chances into goals.”
Striker Nicke Kabamba, who signed a one-and-a-half year deal from Hartlepool in January, knows the importance of the next three matches.
“We have been speaking about it,” he said.
“We know what our target is, we have to try to stick together and it will come our way.
“We’ve had a little bit of bad luck and results not falling our way, it is time for changing.”
