SOME like it hot.

Ian Baraclough hopes Ross County aren't one of them as he looks to turn up the heat on Motherwell's relegation rivals.

The two sides lock horns at Fir Park this afternoon in what is a do-or-die match for the hosts in their bid to avoid the SPFL Premiership relegation play-off.

Lose and Well will virtually be condemned to a shoot-out with a team from the Championship. Win, however, and it narrows the gap between them and the Staggies to just three points with nine left to play for.

It's a pressure cooker Baraclough is keen to throw County into as Motherwell try to rise again after their 2-0 defeat to Hamilton Accies last Friday.

He said: "If we win, you hope that would get them on their toes.

"I know Jim [McIntyre] would have been hurting last week after the good run [came to an end against Partick Thistle].

"They probably saw our result on the Friday and thought 'what a good chance to get this done and dusted'.

"That's the beauty of these games. I'm finding that out that it's not over and there are so many twists and turns. Who'd have thought St Mirren would have put four on Kilmarnock and dragged them into it.

"We have to make sure we take care of our result today. If we do, three points can be whittled away very quickly."

It is a sentiment echoed by Motherwell winger Marvin Johnson.

The man signed in the January window from Kidderminster has never been in a relegation battle before and admits it can be difficult to adjust to the stresses and strains it brings.

He is confident, however, that there are enough strong characters within the Well squad to deal with such a burden and transfer the pressure over to County this afternoon.

He said: "I've never been involved in a relegation battle before so it's a new experience for me. I have to get myself right and make sure the boys around me are in a similar frame of mind.

"The pressure is difficult at times and it is easy to throw in the towel. We've just got to stick together, keep our heads clear and stay positive.

"We have to forget what people say about us and show them what we can do on the park.

"If we beat County we will just be three points behind and the pressure transfers to them. We must make sure we get that victory first, though."

Since Johnson arrived in January Motherwell have never been that far away from trouble.

It is a far cry from the club that has been contending for Champions League and Europa League spots over the past few seasons.

Regardless, the Englishman has still been impressed by the big club that brought him north of the border.

And he is keen to make sure they stay where he believes they belong - in the SPFL Premiership.

"We have to go in there with a positive mind and we need to get hold of the three points," he said.

"I think against St Mirren and Hamilton at Fir Park we were very positive, you can see that in the results.

"But against Partick Thistle and then Accies away we have maybe just dropped off a little bit. Now it's the time to dig in and give it all we've got.

"People may be writing us off to finish 11th but it's clear to see in games that we shouldn't be where we are. Unfortunately we are in a situation where we need to dig deep to get ourselves out of it now.

"It's a big thing for me to be here in the top flight. I signed here mainly because of the club, but staying up is obviously a big deal. I'll just give it all I've got, the lads will give it what they have and hopefully we'll be fine."