Liam Smith says St Mirren expect a difficult match when they travel to Falkirk on Saturday.
The Bairns have struggled this season with just one win from their first nine league matches.
That disappointing start saw Falkirk, one of the early promotion favourites, part ways with manager Peter Houston last month.
Ex-St Mirren manager Alex Smith took charge of the side temporarily, guiding them to their only league win of the season thus far, before the appointment of Paul Hartley on a three-year deal.
The former Alloa and Dundee manager officially took charge of Falkirk for the first time in last weekend's 0-0 draw at home to Inverness.
Despite their slow start to the season, Smith expects the Bairns players' eagerness to impress their new manager will make them hard to beat.
But he also believes that a confident Saints side can go to the Falkirk Stadium and get a result.
You always think of Falkirk as one of the teams in this league that will go and compete.
"They've not had a good start but they'll have a confidence boost with the new manager coming in and they'll be trying to impress him.
"It'll be another tough game as they all are, but if we can go and play the way we have been and the way we know we can then we'll be confident we can get a result."
The Buddies go into Saturday's match in good spirits after extending their lead at the top of the Championship to three points with last weekend's 2-0 win over Dumbarton.
Smith says getting a result away to Dumbarton, coupled with meeting their target for the first quarter, shows the belief within the team at the moment.
I think they had sat down before I had joined and when I saw it I thought it was ambitious target.
"But for us to actually meet that target and be sitting top of the league is credit to the whole squad. It shows how far the club has come over the last 12 months and to be part of that is great.
"It's not an easy place to go and, with that hoodoo over us, to get the result that backs up the fact we are confident and we feel we can beat anyone on our day."
Smith joined Saints in August on a season-long loan from Ladbrokes Premiership side Hearts.
The full-back admits he is relishing the opportunity of regular football as he looks to develop as a player.
It's really good and I'm enjoying it," he said.
"It's great to have a game at the end of a training week. To be playing every week is massive for your development and knowing you are building up to something at the end of a training week is vital for any young player.
"There's a lot of experienced players in the dressing room and it definitely helps when you've got that mixture. In a winning side you need to have a bit of leadership and a bit of experience when things aren't going well they can use their experience and drag the other boys along with them."
