A FIRST league win of the campaign today would be just the tonic as Alex Rae looks to settle nerves at St Mirren.

The Buddies travel to Somerset Park this afternoon with only one point from their first three Ladbrokes Championship games as they sit just above hosts Ayr United in the standings.

It hasn't been the easiest start to the campaign for Saints. An opening day Renfrewshire derby against Morton was followed by a defeat away at Stark's Park before high-flying Hibs delivered a 2-0 home blow.

Rae is calm when looking at his team's slow progress against this backdrop. Regardless, the St Mirren manager is hoping three points this afternoon will help reassure his team's support and ignite their league campaign.

"If we can get it sooner rather than later then it will settle everyone down," he said. " That's the idea. We have to try and get those three points.

"Because it's only a few games into the season if you do that then you are back up in mid-table. We aren't getting too carried away with where we are.

"We obviously want to be higher in the league but we know it's still early days.

"The good thing is that all four strikers at the club have scored this season [John Sutton, David Clarkson, Lawrence Shankland and Ryan Hardie], so we're not waiting on someone getting up to the mark.

"It's just a matter of trying to get the balance between the four of them. I've explained to them that I'll change things if one of their attributes hurt the opposition more.

"We just need to try and get on top of that, get a settled team and kick on."

The test St Mirren face to get that elusive Championship win is not an unfamiliar one.

Only last month the pair met in Betfred League Cup action with the Paisley side coming out on top thanks to a Jack Baird goal, and Rae is looking for more of the same fight today that helped get his team over the line against the honest men last time out.

He said: "We know exactly what to expect. They are competitive, organised and have match winners.

"We have to match that and bring a bit of quality from us to get us through and deliver the three points.

"Last week we lost 2-0 against the team that probably the favourites for the league this year, but it would have been easy for the players to cave in and they didn't. There was a doggedness to stay in the game.

"We're going to need that spirit from start to finish against Ayr. We have to dig in this division. That has to be the way forward for us."

St Mirren go into the game without Gary MacKenzie who is back training and Rocco Quinn after the former Celtic man resumed jogging.