Kilmarnock midfielder Aaron Tshibola has noticed teams taking them more seriously and making every game a battle.
But he feels the challenge has ensured that Killie will not allow complacency to creep in as they bid to close an extraordinary year with victory over St Mirren.
Killie have taken 71 points from 37 matches in 2018 and go into the game in third place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
Steve Clarke's men have only lost one of their last eight matches – the most recent a 1-0 win at Motherwell – and Tshibola feels that is because they relish the challenges posed by their opponents.
The on-loan Aston Villa midfielder said: "A lot of teams now come against us and put a real battle in. But it's great for us, it's challenging and we cannot be complacent.
"Wednesday was tough and I like to think it will probably be the same on Saturday. We have to make sure we are disciplined enough to not let complacency creep in and get the job done up to the break.
"Obviously we have shown we are amongst the better teams in Scotland, so teams will have to change their approach and be careful when they play against us, because we have got dangerous players who can change any moment in the game.
"I think teams are recognising this and taking us a lot more seriously."
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