Iain Vigurs is eagerly anticipating his return to action ahead of what could be his long-awaited second debut for Ross County against Arbroath in the Betfred Cup tonight.
Vigurs has been sidelined since rejoining County from Highland rivals Caley Thistle at the end of last season, after undergoing minor groin surgery to fix a lingering issue which the 30-year-old had not been aware of prior to his move over the Kessock Bridge.
Having returned to full training in recent days, Vigurs is excited about the prospect of making a comeback at Gayfield tonight.
Vigurs, who previously played for County between 2009 and 2013, said: “It’s nearly three months since my last game for Inverness against Morton at the end of April, so it has been a long time coming.
“I didn’t realise it would be such a long time before my next game. I can’t wait to get going again and get the cobwebs out, so to speak.
“The physio was aware of what was going on. He spoke to me and said the best thing to do was to sort it now.
“That meant I wasn’t missing training sessions just to make games, it wouldn’t have got any better. Even the surgeon said that, so it was perfect to get it done at the start of pre-season.
“I didn’t even know about it last season. Because we had such a heavy fixture load at the end of last season, I thought it was just fatigue.
“In some games I was coming off after an hour just to give it some rest.
“It turned out it wasn’t fatigue, but I probably caught it early which was good. I’m just delighted to get it done so I can put it behind me and just move on with the season ahead.”
County have taken maximum points in Group A with back-to-back home wins against Elgin City and Dundee United, and Vigurs knows he faces strong competition to earn a place in Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson’s starting line-up.
He added: “Obviously I missed a couple of games which is not ideal, but I would rather miss these games than league games.
“It’s good to get it done, and I’m raring to go now.
“The boys have started brilliantly, so it’s definitely up to me to challenge them.
“But I haven’t lost any fitness or anything, I just need my match sharpness and speed. The minute I had my operation I was back running about three days later.
“It’s a really quick turnover, so it’s just about getting minutes on the pitch. That’s what I need. But the boys have done brilliant in the first two games so it’s up to me to try and get myself into the frame for the start of the league.”
Vigurs is one of eight new additions at Victoria Park, but the Aberdeen-born midfielder is confident the Dingwall men can hit the ground running in the Championship, adding: “All the new signings coming in have played in the league, and at the top of it.
“They know what to expect, and you add that with the mix we have already got here and we’re hoping that it’s a good recipe for the season ahead.
“We are confident in what we are capable of, and what we are going to do this season. We just need to play to the standard we know we can.”
