McInnes looks for follow-up win

St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes is underlining the importance of building on the club's 5-1 league thrashing of Hibernian on Wednesday.The Perth outfit's next challenge is against Scottish Premier League leaders Rangers in Saturday's early kick-off.

"It's been pretty buoyant around the club. The team have to take a lot of confidence from that win," McInnes told BBC Scotland.

"But we know that feeling can disappear quickly if we don't follow it up."

The Saints' result against Hibs was the first time they have scored five against top flight opposition since they beat Motherwell 5-0 in 1998.

But McInnes, who entered management just over two years ago when he was appointed to the McDiarmid Park hot-seat, was coy when asked where the win ranked in his own short career.

"You're always pleased to get such an emphatic win," he said.

"But any time you get three points is invaluable.

"It's certainly up there among the best results, but whether it's the best, I don't know."

We're hoping we can take confidence and team spirit into the Rangers game

Derek McInnes

McInnes was most pleased that his side allied stout defending with a more 'clinical' edge in front of goal, and he is looking for a similar level of commitment from his players on Saturday.

"We're hoping we can take confidence and team spirit into the Rangers game," he said.

"They look like a team who have become used to winning.

"We all know they have strong players and have match-winners in their team.

"So they'll be tough opposition, but hopefully we'll be tough opposition too.

"We want to give a good account of ourselves and we'll give it a right go.

"But we'll need 10 or 11 big performances to get anything from the game."

After around two-thirds of their return season in the SPL the Perth club are eighth in the table.

However, should they win their two games in hand they would enter the top six.

Even so, McInnes was quick to play down his team's ambitions of finishing in the top half.

"We haven't thought about that. It's our priority to stay in the SPL," he said.

"We've got some games in hand, but that's all they are at the moment, and we'd much rather have the points in the bag.

"All I'm looking at is getting 10 points clear of the bottom club.

"We've still got a lot of work ahead of us to do that.

"If we do manage to do that, then maybe we can can start looking elsewhere."

Source: BBC Sport