Marcus Fraser insists St Mirren will not be daunted by the prospect of facing Rangers on Sunday as they bid to snap out of their slump.
Saints sit 10th in the cinch Premiership, with their top-six bid having faded after a run of five defeats in their last six league games.
But defender Fraser is optimistic they are capable of claiming a positive result when they welcome a Rangers side second in the table and in the last eight of the Europa League.
“We’ve always got hope going into a game, especially at home,” he said. “We’re not just going to turn up and let Rangers win the game, that’s for sure.
“We’re going to try and stamp our authority on the game. But when chances come, we’ll need to take them because they’re a good side with good players.”
Manager Stephen Robinson was scathing of his team’s performance in last weekend’s damaging 4-2 defeat by Motherwell.
Fraser concedes his boss was well within his rights to publicly condemn the team’s display.
“We conceded four goals so as a defender you need to take that (criticism) on the chin,” he said. “As a defence and a whole team, it’s not good enough to concede four goals because you don’t give yourselves much of a chance.
“I’m an experienced player myself, so me and the rest of the defence, and the rest of the team, need to take whatever comes our way and hopefully improve from it.
“Everybody was gutted last week because it was a game we wanted to win. But we’ve got enough experience in the dressing room to put that game behind us and focus on Sunday.”
