CONSISTENCY is a word that has vanished from the vocabulary of most football fans with a PA1 postcode.

In truth it is something that has not been part of their lexicon for quite some time as St Mirren’s fortunes in recent times have hit the skids.

A lack of form blighted their doomed Ladbrokes Premiership campaign last season to such an extent that the most amount of wins garnered in a row came to the modest figure of just two, a feat they only achieved once when relegation was all-but confirmed.

This campaign it is an achievement they have managed to replicate once but not beat as the Paisley side struggle to gain a firm foothold in the Championship. Now into January, defender Keith Watson thinks that run of consistency is just around the corner.

Since Alex Rae came in as manager, St Mirren have won two out of their four league games, with Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to high-flying Hibernian not enough to dissuade supporters that their team has finally shown signs of clicking into gear. Now with fixtures coming up against bottom-placed Alloa Athletic, a double header with Queen of the South and a match-up at home to Dumbarton, Watson is confident these all present realistic opportunities for his team to build.

“There are a lot of good teams in the division,” said the former Hibs man. “Everyone can beat everybody, it is difficult every week and you need to be on your toes and you need to be sharp and work hard if you want to pick up results.

“I’m not too sure if people underestimate the league. I’ve played in the Championship with Hibs and it is still a good standard. There are a lot of good players in the league and I’ve found at St Mirren as well, it is a good league and it is tough to pick up results.

“But if we can kick start and get a win on Saturday against Alloa, then there are a run of games coming up where we feel we can pick up points and push up that table.”

The last time the pair met came in a day after Rae was appointed as manager last month, with St Mirren claiming a 2-0 win on that day in Clackmannanshire. It is an omen Watson takes encouragement from, as well as pin-pointing the fresh approach of the man now at the helm.

“We obviously got a good result against them the last time but they have picked up a little bit as well, they’ve got some decent results,” said the 26-year-old. “It will be a tough game. We are at home in front of our own fans so we hope to finally get that win.

“Last year I joined Hibs in the January. When they started in the Championship they took a wee while to get going as well. I think it has obviously been the same for us, just adapting, it is a new squad here and there is a lot of young boys.

“We have got a little bit of experience in now, as well as the new gaffer coming in now and bringing in his ideas. The boys are enjoying training and hopefully the results are going to start picking up.”