Craig McLeish has urged his players to draw on their big match experiences this season heading into our William Hill Premiership Play-Offs against Partick Thistle.
The interim Buddies boss wants to use Saints' encounters of winning the Premier Sports Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup to take into our two-legged affair against the Jags as we aim to preserve our Premiership status.
"I said that to the boys, this is why I coach, this is why I want to manage, this is why the players play. It's for these big moments, we've had a lot of big moments throughout this season.
Trips to Hampden, winning the cup, we've turned up at big moments and we have to do that again. We've got a game plan in place, we have to go and execute that over the two legs.
"We have to draw on those experiences, be it games at Hampden, be it really good performances, even the game against Hearts at home where we put in an outstanding performance. We have to draw on as many of those positive experiences as we can ahead of the Partick games."
Saints' battle to survive sees them come up against a Partick Thistle team who finished runners-up in the William Hill Championship.
Mark Wilson's Jags have impressed this season in their battle for promotion and Craig knows his side will have to be at their very best to ensure they remain in the top flight next season.
"We're confident as a group but we have to go in with confidence but not complacency," he said.
"You can't think that you're playing a lesser team or look at it as you're playing a Championship side. Partick Thistle are a very good side and we have to be on the top of our game to be able to come out top over the two ties.
Every aspect of our game has to be spot on, so we have to be confident but not complacent with how we approach the game.
"I was at the game [between Partick Thistle and Dunfermline in the play-off semi-final second leg]. I thought they did well, especially second half, thought Tony Watt changed the game for them. He's a big player for them and has so much quality and experience.
"I like how Mark Wilson's got them set up. I've watched a lot of them. I like how he plays, kind of similar to how I see how I'd want to play the game. They build up from the back really well, they're really aggressive and they're high press. They've got a really good mixture of youth and experience, they play with high energy, they've been a good team to analyse.
I have to draw on all of my experience as well to come up with a tactical plan to combat what they're doing because I do think they're very well set up under them."
McLeish will be able to welcome Conor McMenamin and Dan Nlundulu into the fold after the pair trained this week. McMenamin missed our final two league matches of the season, while Nlundulu has been unavailable since featuring in our 2-0 win over Aberdeen at The SMiSA Stadium at the beginning of April.
The interim gaffer says he'll have to draw on everybody at his disposal over these final two games.
The boys are in a really good place. Everyone's on board, everyone knows what we need to do over the next two games and everyone's willing to pitch in.
"I've said that the boys who maybe don't start in the first game, they'll be needed at some point and we're in a good place as a group.
"We've had a couple of bodies back in training as well that'll be added to the squad. Dan and Conor both trained over the last couple of days and will both be back in the squad, which is a nice boost for us as well."
Dan Nlundulu has returned to training
