SPL round-up: Inverness CT v Hearts, Kilmarnock v Ross County, Motherwell v Dundee, St Mirren v Aberdeen "It is wonderful pressure," he said. It is so different. In the early part of the season we were equal bottom with Dundee, it was only goal difference that was keeping us off the bottom. Last year we were at the bottom for three months and that's not nice. It's not nice to look at the table, the papers, the websites and television and see your name at the bottom. Now it is the reverse. It is wonderful to see your name up there, we have been fifth, then fourth and now we are in the top three which is a fantastic achievement. It is all heady stuff but it is brilliant. Butcher will be without midfielder Ross Draper who twisted his ankle near the end of last week's 2-1 win at Kilmarnock. Hearts winger Andrew Driver believes the club will continue in some way, shape or form regardless of what happens over the coming days and weeks. The Edinburgh outfit is battling for survival after being issued with a winding up order by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs over a tax bill of almost £450,000. Club officials highlighted the severity of the situation when they admitted next week's game against St Mirren could be their last unless fans help the club come up with the cash. However, Driver refused to consider the prospect of Scottish football without Hearts. He said: "It's Heart of Midlothian - it's not going to go away. It's a nightmare of a situation the club is in and we've got to get out of this situation. It's a massive club, with masses of history. It's a shame it's in this situation and we've just got to get out of it. Hearts are the latest club to find themselves in serious financial turmoil following the demise of Rangers. HMRC action forced the Ibrox club to call in the administrators in February, before they were consigned to liquidation in the summer and re-launched as a newco in the Irn-Bru Third Division. Driver added: "It's the way the world is going at the moment. There are a lot of businesses elsewhere going the same way so it's not as though football is on its own in this situation. It's always a worry and, for people who have a chance of losing their jobs, it's not ideal. We've all got to pull together and do what we can to stop the situation. Driver believes all the players can do right now is deliver the performances that will drive fans back to Tynecastle, pointing out that they have produced the goods in the face of adversity in the past. He said: "We are professionals. We've got to go into our game [at Inverness] this weekend and do as well as we can, as we have done over the last two years when we haven't been paid on time. We've kind of rallied together and got some pretty commendable results in those situations. It's just business as usual for us and hopefully we can get the siege mentality from this and go into the game and get a result. The statement on the internet was enough to show that the club is in dire straits and we do need support. Hopefully the fans can turn out to the next few games and support us. As players, we've got to put on a performance for these guys to keep the fans coming back. We've got to look at the way we have performed in the last few weeks and hold ourselves slightly responsible for that. We've got to try to bring the fans back and that's all we can look for and aim to do. Hearts are under a Scottish Premier League transfer embargo following consecutive late monthly payments to some players and coaches. John McGlynn has indicated he would be willing to accept a voluntary delay in his wages to help the club. Asked if the players would do the same, Driver said: "I don't know if we would have any option anyway. If the time comes, we will sit down and talk about it. As a group of boys, we are willing to look at options. We know the club is the greater purpose at the moment so we would have to sit down if the situation arises. I can't speak for the rest of the guys because we haven't talked about it but, when the time comes, I'm sure we will sit down and discuss it. The 24 year-old joined Hearts as a youth academy player and added: "It's very worrying. The biggest thing for us is that the club is being honest with us and open with us. Nothing is being hidden. We know the situation we are in, which is always better. It's not ideal but it's not only us as players, it's the whole club - we are all in it together. Meanwhile Hearts fans have responded positively to an appeal for emergency financial help after the Scottish Cup holders said a winding-up order over a tax bill could put them out of business. The Edinburgh club, founded in 1874, has asked fans to ensure the Tynecastle Stadium is sold out for forthcoming home games and to invest in a share issue to raise £1.795 million to help secure the club's short-term future. "It is clear to us that there is a very strong will amongst supporters to make sure that we can steer our way through the current position," the club said in a statement on Friday after talks between directors and groups representing fans. Kilmarnock v Ross County John Fleming, the Scottish Football Association's head of referee development, has expressed his disappointment at comments made by Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels about match official Euan Norris. Shiels accused the referee of making a "sarcastic" remark following his side's 2-1 defeat by Inverness at Rugby Park last weekend. The Killie boss said he had reported Norris to the SPL match delegate and would also be reporting him to Fleming. The referees' chief confirmed no complaint had been received and moved to shed light on the incident. In a statement, Fleming said: "I was disappointed that Kenny Shiels elected to speak to the media before myself in relation to comments from Euan Norris he alleged were sarcastic in nature after the Kilmarnock v Inverness SPL match last weekend. I was especially disappointed by this course of action since, in the very same interview, Kenny admitted he 'did not know exactly what was said but it was something flippant'. For the purposes of clarity, there has been no formal complaint received and no action intended against the match official. I have discussed the matter with Euan and his explanation is as follows. He was approached immediately after the full-time whistle by the Kilmarnock manager, who was shaking his head in disapproval. When confronted by a clearly unhappy manager on the field of play, Euan said: 'You are shaking your head for the benefit of the spectators'. There was no sarcasm; no flippancy. It is what Euan believed. Mutual respect between players, coaches and match officials is essential to the game. Recent events elsewhere only serve to underline that fact. I have always encouraged open dialogue as head of referee development but public comments such as those made by Mr Shiels undermine that relationship at a time when, collectively, we should be doing all that we can to enhance it. He added: "On a separate issue, I also wish to confirm that Euan is recovering well after an incident at our referees' grassroots evening on Monday. Euan collapsed after feeling unwell and was taken to Wishaw General Hospital, where he was kept in overnight for observation and subject to 24-hour monitoring. In order to fully recuperate, I felt it wise to allow Euan some time with his family this weekend, perhaps similar to action afforded to any player in such circumstances. Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cammy Bell is eligible for the clash against Ross County after winning his red card appeal. Killie had their appeal against Bell's dismissal for denying a goalscoring opportunity upheld by a Scottish Football Association panel on Thursday. Kenny Shiels still has William Gros, Garry Hay and Danny Racchi on the sidelines. Marc Fitzpatrick is determined to show Shiels that Ross County can play good football after the Kilmarnock manager's scathing comments over the standard of entertainment the last time the teams met. Shiels claimed the goalless draw between the sides at Dingwall on Sept 1 was "anti-football" and said both teams kept giving each other the ball. The result was symptomatic of the tight nature of County's start to life in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League - their first six games only produced a total of three goals. But their second half-dozen matches have seen a remarkable turnaround with a total of 28 goals and County travel to Rugby Park on the same 15-point total as Kilmarnock. And although Shiels was being critical of his own team too, Fitzpatrick is eager to prove a point. The former Motherwell player said: "It was a difficult game, a 0-0 draw. We know they are good on the ball and have very good movement. We need to defend against that. It's difficult in away games, you need to be more on your guard. They have added (Cillian) Sheridan and he's scored the majority of their goals, so it's another threat we have to deal with. Hopefully we can go there and play the sort of football we are capable of. Their manager's comments the last time they played here, I don't know if they were aimed at us, but it was a bit disrespectful. We can play football but we can also mix it up a bit. County have been busy proving sceptics wrong in recent weeks after a three-match losing run sparked claims their bubble had burst following the end of their 40-game unbeaten run in the league. But only a last-gasp John Sutton goal at Tynecastle prevented County from responding with three straight wins from a difficult run of games against Hibernian, Hearts and Aberdeen. Left-back Fitzpatrick added: "We needed to prove that once that run went with those three defeats, people might have thought that was us done and we wouldn't get back on it. But we have not lost in three games and we have shown we have got that mental strength in the squad. The league is that close this season that everyone is on a level par but they are big clubs. Aberdeen and Hibs are near the top of the league this season so it shows we can mix it with anybody. Motherwell v Dundee Motherwell midfielder Nicky Law is refusing to panic over their recent goalscoring form at Fir Park as they prepare to face Dundee following three blanks. Law hoped last Saturday's 3-1 win at St Johnstone had banished their problems in front of goal but they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Dundee United on Wednesday - the fifth time they had failed to find the net in six matches. However, Law agrees with manager Stuart McCall that there was little wrong with their overall display and he will retain belief against the other half of the City of Discovery on Saturday. "We watched the game back again and we actually played well and created quite a lot of chances," the former Rotherham player said. We have probably done everything but score. We just have to put our chances away, it's something we have probably struggled with a bit lately. In all the games we have lost we have created chances. We just have to keep creating chances and hopefully we start taking them. But the manager is drumming it into us to still be confident and keep playing how we are. We know we are a good side and if we are playing well, we are as good as anyone in the league, so we will keep plugging away. Henrik Ojamaa has been the player most afflicted by a failure in front of goal, having not scored this season, but the Estonia striker could not have come closer against United, hitting both the bar and post. He was unlucky on Wednesday night with his shot. He has come inside, done everything right, he has hit the bar and it has come down and out," Law said. Their goal has probably hit the same position of the bar and gone down and in. That's the way it is going for us. Henrik had a good chance at the weekend as well. He is in the positions and hopefully he will soon take one and go on one of his runs again. Law showed no lack of confidence in front of goal at McDiarmid Park when he dinked the ball home for Motherwell's third after brushing aside team-mate Jamie Murphy. The goal was his second of the season with his aim to beat last term's tally of seven, which he reached after McCall badgered the midfielder to shoot more. "He's not as bad now," Law said. I think if I was five yards out I was still trying to pass it last season. At the weekend, I think Murph wanted his hat-trick but I wasn't going to let him have that one. I think last season I might have. I nearly put him on the floor to get through. He wasn't too happy but I'm sure Murph will score more than me this season. As long as we're winning games we are not bothered who scores, but obviously we are not scoring enough so we want to sort that out. Some Motherwell fans might see bottom club Dundee as the ideal opponents to rectify the goalscoring problems against but Law is wary of the Dens Park side. "They have beaten Hearts twice, so they are capable of beating one of the better sides in the league," he said. We know how dangerous they are. We had a tough game up there. We managed to turn it round and win 2-1 but it was a difficult game and they are a decent side. They are big and strong and ask questions of you. Dundee manager Barry Smith has urged his players not to let their win over Hearts go to waste when they head to Fir Park for Saturday's Clydesdale Bank Premier League match with Motherwell. The Dens Park club secured their first home league victory of the season by beating the Tynecastle men 1-0 thanks to Matt Lockwood's free-kick, and will be attempting to make it back-to-back victories for the first time this season as they prepare to head to Lanarkshire to face Stuart McCall's men. Dundee have had a tough time on their return to the SPL after a seven-year absence, but after moving to within five points of St Mirren last weekend Smith does not want his side to fall short in their efforts to climb the table away to the Steelmen. Smith said: "It's all about trying to build on what we did against Hearts. It was a great result and performance to match which was the most pleasing thing. It's only one win but the important thing is that we must take confidence from that into the Motherwell match. We showed what we can do on our day, so if we can play like that again we'll certainly give ourselves a chance. The mood has been good in training all week, with a view to going to Fir Park, so we have to try to build up some sort of momentum. We go there knowing what we're capable of and hopefully the Hearts game can spur us on to do something good in this game. Smith watched Motherwell lose narrowly to Dundee United in midweek but is under no illusions just how tough it will be to come way with a positive result. He said: "It was one of these games which could have gone either way. Motherwell were left with nothing to show for their efforts but they still put a lot into it and were unfortunate that was the case. They are dangerous with a lot of pace and skill in their side. We know that because the last time we played them at Dens earlier in the season they came from behind to win 2-1. That was disappointing from our point of view but the players are learning all the time at this level. We reached a standard against Hearts which we want to maintain but Motherwell will have other ideas so we'll have to ready from the very start. Michael Higdon is always a threat in the air and on the deck and he's just one of a number of players we'll need to keep an eye on. St Mirren v Aberdeen St Mirren manager Danny Lennon is bracing himself for an Aberdeen side still smarting over their cup exit when the two sides meet in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. The Dons saw their impressive 12-game unbeaten run come to an end when they were dumped out of the Scottish Communities League Cup on penalties by Saints, who will meet Celtic in the last four. Aberdeen then went on to lose at Ross County last weekend and Lennon knows they will be seeking a positive response from Saturday's Paisley clash. However, having endured a disappointing spell in the SPL recently, the Buddies boss is also eyeing this fixture as the match which can kickstart his own team's campaign again. Lennon said: "They will still be bitter over the cup game and they lost on Saturday again after their unbeaten run. We are suffering from four defeats on the trot in the SPL so both teams will want to get back on track as quickly as possible. It's got the makings of a great game. We've done particularly well against Aberdeen in the last few meetings and we look for that to remain intact, and we look to bring our best out again on Saturday. The cup win over Aberdeen has been the only highlight in a run which has included losses to St Johnstone, Celtic, Dundee United and Hibernian. Lennon added: "We are ever so close at this moment in time. Our level of performance has been decent but we are certainly suffering results-wise. There are a few things that haven't been going in our favour. I'm not one for making excuses but we are missing one or two key players and big refereeing decisions are going against us at the moment. If we stick together and continue to work as hard as we have done, I'm sure those things will turn for us. Saints will be without suspended skipper Jim Goodwin following his red card in the 2-1 defeat to Hibs. Lennon said: "We are already missing two influential players for us just now, never mind one being out. When that happens, the full squad is affected. We have Paul McGowan and Darren McGregor out. Now we're missing Jim Goodwin on Saturday. For whatever reason, we really don't know. I know what type of player Jim is, he brings so much quality and leadership to our team and he's going to be a sore miss. But what it certainly does bring is a wonderful opportunity for somebody else to step up to the mark. Craig Brown insists revenge is not underpinning Aberdeen's desire to get three league points against St Mirren. Danny Lennon's men knocked the Dons out of the Scottish Communities League Cup quarter-final last week on penalties at Pittodrie following a 2-2 draw after extra-time. The Aberdeen manager, though, is more concerned with getting back on track in the SPL after a 2-1 defeat to Ross County last week, their first loss in the league since the opening day to Celtic. Brown told the club's official website: "I don't think it's a revenge situation. It's a league game, it's important for both of us. They're needing points, we're needing points for different reasons and hopefully it will stay that way throughout the season. So it is important we get a win. We've seen situations like Motherwell, who lost four in a row and didn't score a goal then they bounced back brilliantly against St Johnstone, but we don't want to wait four games, we are determined to get back to winning ways. St Mirren are a good team and they play well. It's not a coincidence that they are very well coached by my wee pal Tommy Craig. He organises them exceptionally well and Danny Lennon manages them well. So it's not surprising they have a good record but we did manage to beat them in the cup replay to get to the semi-final last season so hopefully we can get a result against them tomorrow. "I think the performance last week was okay," added Brown. We didn't score when we should have, we had two great chances in the first half and two in the second. We restricted Ross County to the minimum of opportunities but they managed to take them. However, if we play the way we played, keep the ball the way we kept it and create the chances we created, I will not be unhappy because I think over the piece if you play properly you will win more than you lose. But I am well aware of the difficulty of an away game at Paisley. Brown will be without midfielder Stephen Hughes who was substituted after just 10 minutes last Saturday. The former Scotland manager said: "It is a blow that Stephen Hughes is going to be out for a few weeks but we think we can cope without him. Stephen is a key player but we've got other players too that are key players and when there have been injuries we've managed to cope in their absence. Hopefully we'll cope without Stephen but clearly it would be better if he was available as he is a quality player and the sooner he is back the better. There were one or two other bumps and bruises in training but hopefully they'll recover. Gavin Rae had a wee knock, Ryan Fraser had a wee knock again but we hope both will be okay. Gary Naysmith (knock) will be doubtful, there is encouragement that Rory Fallon (stomach) has trained this morning and he may be available for inclusion in the squad. Sunday Hibernian v Dundee United Alan Maybury believes facing a resurgent Dundee United will provide a stern examination of a revitalised Hibernian. Hibs enter the weekend's fixtures level on points at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with Celtic as manager Pat Fenlon appears to have instilled resilience and results at Easter Road. While Hibs have battled for survival in each of the last two seasons United have been consistently challenging at the top of the standings and after a poor start are now seventh in the table, unbeaten in their last four. "At the end of the season they'll be a lot higher up the league," said Hibs full-back Maybury of Sunday's opponents. I don't think it's any big surprise that they're starting to pick up. They're just starting to get some of their players back from injury and pick up a bit of form - it's come at a bad time for us. We know it's going to be difficult, but it's a big game and a good opportunity for us to try and cement what we're doing. Winger Gary Mackay-Steven is among those United missed in recent weeks, while further threats from the visitors come in the shape of Johnny Russell, Jon Daly and former Hearts forward Rudi Skacel. Maybury is set to continue at right-back in place of Tim Clancy (groin) on Sunday and could face Mackay-Steven's trickery. The 34-year-old added: "They're effective in what they do. Jon Daly's a big player for them and then they try to get it out to the old-fashioned wingers. In training I'm up against some good players, Leigh Griffiths and Ivan Sproule's pace. I've been around the block a couple of times. I know how to deal with some of them; some of them I just can't catch. Fenlon's Hibs also seem to have overcome their home struggles. This season at Easter Road, Hibs have four wins and two draws from six matches. Maybury, who left St Johnstone last term, signed ahead of the opening home game of the campaign - the 1-1 draw with Hearts in the first capital clash since May's 5-1 William Hill Scottish Cup final loss. Of the home form, he said: "It helped there was a derby for the first game. There was the attitude that we had to make sure what happened in the cup final didn't happen again. If nothing else you compete and nine times out of 10 fans accept that. Some days you just won't be good enough, but we felt that put a marker down. That was the minimum that was required from then on and confidence builds; confidence can take you a long way in this game. We've had some good results here and little things like getting a draw at Celtic can make a big difference to confidence. The future may look bright, but Hibs will not be allowed to get ahead of themselves, not while Fenlon is in charge. Maybury added: "He keeps banging on: 'there's nothing been achieved', 'we're not resting on our laurels' and he gives you a rocket if you need it. We're doing well at the moment, but there's a long way to go. Dundee United manager Peter Houston insists his side's secret to success recently has been refusing to look too far ahead. And that will not change as they turn their focus to this weekend's Clydesdale Bank Premier League meeting with joint-leaders Hibernian at Easter Road. The Tannadice club have shaken off their early-season sluggishness which saw them slip to second bottom and moved up into seventh place thanks to their hard-fought 1-0 win away to Motherwell at Fir Park during the week. United are in the middle of a hectic schedule which has brought out the best in Houston's men, who were widely tipped to be challenging for second spot in the SPL before a ball was kicked. And Houston, who watched his side come from 2-0 down to earn a share of the spoils in last Sunday's match with Celtic, is not about to change his philosophy which has served the Taysiders well in the past. He said: "We've played against some good sides recently and it's been hectic. St Mirren fall into that category, Aberdeen are a good team, Hearts are one of the best in the country and Celtic are obviously an excellent side. But we'll just take just one game at a time. That's always been our policy at this club and it's something we're happy with. Hibs are the first obstacle which we see in front of us going into Sunday's match. By treating it this way, we can see the strengths and weaknesses of each club and try to come up with a game-plan which we can execute nearer the time. Houston is full of praise for Pat Fenlon's on-form Hibees side after defeating them easily on the opening day of the season back in August. The Edinburgh club have picked up considerably since then, though, so United have been well warned about what awaits them come kick-off time on Sunday. Houston said: "Hibs are in really decent form. They got a draw at Parkhead earlier in the season and because of that you're confidence naturally grows from there. They've had some other good results since then so it's been one thing after another for them. I was at the Motherwell match me when they beat them 4-0 in the Friday night game and they certainly took their chances. We'll have to be at our best to win and we're under no illusions about how tough its going to be for us. United drew at Easter Road in the early stages of last season and Houston is well aware there's never been much between the sides. He said: "It's a tough match but games between the two teams have always been good at Easter Road. They're normally quite tight and I would expect this one to be no different. They're top of the table on merit so we'll need to be ready for the challenge which awaits us on Sunday. We've got to make sure we're organised and do the basics well like we have done in recent weeks. If we play like we did in spells against Motherwell the other night I'll be happy. We played some decent stuff and got our just reward.