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It may be derby day – but Stelios just wants the points
It might be St Mirren’s biggest match of the season so far – but for Stelios and his teammates, it’s just another hurdle on the relentless race to promotion.
When Morton come calling on Saturday, they will be looking to cement their place as kings of Renfrewshire following a 4-1 win over the Saints back in August.
But for fans’ favourite Stelios Demetriou, taking on bitter rivals Morton is all about gaining three important points towards top- flight status.
The message from manager Jack Ross has been a simple one: every game is a must-win.
Stelios said: “That’s how this manager approaches every single game – to win it.
“I don’t think we have to change anything as everything is working well now and hopefully it pays off at the weekend.
“At the moment we see it as a derby, so while that’s important we want to win every single game.
“We know the team’s target this season – we aim high, especially at home, and every game is must-win.”
Stelios admits, however, that when he arrives at the Paisley 2021 Stadium on Saturday the butterflies might start kicking in.
He said: “I take it like every other game. But when you feel the atmosphere at the stadium then maybe you will think about it another way. But at the moment the preparation has been – from the manager and the players – the same as every single week.
“I think it’s the fans that are going to give us an extra push at the weekend because I’m sure we are going to have a really big crowd, maybe the biggest crowd of the season at home.”
The Paisley side weren’t at the races at Cappielow earlier in the season, but Stelios believes it could have turned out very differently.
He said: “We all know how massive a derby is.
“At the moment the team is enjoying a good momentum and is on a good run and we’re playing at home, so I think it will be a completely different game from the last game against them.
“That was a game where had we not had a man sent off it would have been a different story – but that’s football.”