SAM FOLEY has told his St Mirren team-mates they can’t afford to let their precarious position in the Ladbrokes Premiership prey on their minds ahead of their massive match against Hearts in Paisley tonight.
The Buddies are now just three points off bottom spot in the league table after slumping to a 5-0 defeat against Celtic at Parkhead on Saturday.
Now they take on Daniel Stendel’s Jambos at home, with vastly-experienced midfielder Foley (pictured) insisting they must not dwell on their last result if they are to win and take a huge step towards top-flight survival.
“There is a lot at stake against Hearts but it’s just another game,” he said. “We will look at it as if we were playing Celtic on Saturday. We will prepare properly.
“When it comes down to it, the game is just two teams. It is at our place and we need to perform to the level we know will win us the game.
“At the end of the day, in that dressing room you are a professional footballer and you have got to where you are in your career by having that ruthlessness about you, that determination, that drive.
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“You have got where you are on your character. That is a massive thing, so if players are going in and thinking about things outwith their control, that is a weakness in my eyes. We can’t afford to have that affect us.
“It’s out of our control what other teams do. We are in control of our destiny.
“I was clapping the fans in midweek when I heard that Hamilton had beaten Rangers. Those things are there but all you can do is affect what is in front of you.”
Foley is adamant that St Mirren, who dropped below Hamilton in the Premiership table at the weekend after Accies beat Kilmarnock, can be proud of aspects of their display against the champions on Saturday.
“In football, we talk about momentum a lot,” he said. “When you go to places like Celtic Park and Ibrox, it is a break from the norm, from the bread and butter. For St Mirren to compete with Celtic? It is a different playing field.
“Anything we could have got from the game would have been a bonus.”
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