"There was not a game in England that we could have had that would have given us a bigger incentive to win or as big a challenge," Calderwood told the Nottingham Evening Post.
"Coming to Scotland has done that. It is the first time I have come up here with a team. There was a change in importance. I think the players sensed that the match against Kilmarnock was the next step up from what they have had previously.
"And the opposition that we come up against this week will be a great test for us. I think this will be a worthwhile week."