Alan Power believes St Mirren will travel with a double-figure incentive to Ross County on Saturday.
The in-form Buddies are in seventh place in the cinch Premiership and unbeaten in their last five games – a run that included victories over Aberdeen and Livingston before the international break.
A win over the struggling Staggies would open up a 10-point gap on the Highlanders, who are still looking for their first league win of the season and are above bottom side Dundee only on goal difference.
Paisley midfielder Power insists it is never too early to get away from the wrong end of the table.
The 33-year-old Irishman said: “I think that is a good incentive to have, to get as far away from the bottom as we can, until the (international) break and see where we are and reassess from there.
“Up until a couple of weeks ago we hadn’t had a win either so we know what position they are in.
“They will be fighting for every ball.
“It is always a tough game when you go up there so we have to rise to the occasion and keep our good run of form going.”
The former Rushden & Diamonds, Lincoln and Kilmarnock player was heartened by St Mirren’s battling 1-0 win over Livi in West Lothian in their last outing.
He said: “We have a lot of good footballers in the team, so it is up to us to not get dragged into battles like that every week if we can and play our own football.
“But it was nice to see against Livingston that if it came down to it, we are able to do it, everybody was fighting for second balls which is what you need to do in this league as well, it is not always going to be pretty.
“I think everyone came out after that game patting each other on the back and grateful to get the three points.”
