Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell is not expecting an easy ride when basement club St Johnstone visit Dingwall on Saturday.
The Saints have mustered just three points so far this campaign after drawing against Livingston, Hibernian and Aberdeen, and they have yet to keep a clean sheet in their seven Ladbrokes Premiership games.
Meanwhile, the Staggies have been in exceptional form since the last international break, picking up seven points from their three league games in September to move up to fifth in the table.
But Kettlewell is wary of the threat St Johnstone pose as they go in search of a first league win of the season.
In a video posted on the club’s Facebook page, Kettlewell said: “It’s going to be really tough. You’re going up against a side that are desperately looking for their first win in the league.
“You look through their squad and they’ve obviously got players back in who have been injured for a long period of time.
“And they’ve got guys who can hurt you if you’re not switched on.
“Everything that we’ve done in the last three weeks has been from a solid foundation – a good defensive set-up, and we always look a threat when we get into the final third of the pitch as well.
“It’s going to have to be all those factors again for us.
“We’re going in against an experienced Premiership side and it’s important that we turn in a good performance here at home in front of our own fans.”
Kettlewell believes the club’s recent away results in particular – a 2-1 win at Motherwell and the goalless draw against Kilmarnock last time out – have boosted their confidence and helped banish the memory of back-to-back defeats at the end of August.
“I think it was the reaction we were looking for following a couple of defeats,” he added.
“Obviously sliding in a couple of away results for us is massive. Getting our first win on the road and picking up a vital point down at Rugby Park on Saturday is massive for the confidence and massive for the feel about the place.”
