Ross County co-manager Steven Ferguson feels his side’s fine comeback in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Ayr United is a point gained in the race for the Championship title.
The Staggies had trailed 3-1 at half time despite taking the lead at Somerset Park, however two goals inside the opening seven minutes of the second half saw them claim a point from the top of the table encounter.
The result keeps County a point adrift of Ian McCall’s men, who have a game in hand, and Ferguson feels the Dingwall men gained the rewards for their attacking approach when trailing against the league leaders.
Ferguson said: “We are really happy, the fact we were 3-1 down means it’s a real positive point for us.
“When we heard everybody else drew, it just means we are as we were.
“Don’t get me wrong, I said in the press last week we wanted to go to Ayr and win the game, and I’m sure the reports will say we did try to win the game. To be fair, so did Ayr.
“It was a proper game of football where we saw some real quality. The opening goal from Josh Mullin was an absolute cracker but we then went and conceded. It was a goal we thought we could have done something about.
“That’s what makes it exciting. It’s quite nice as a lot of teams sit in when they play against us and it’s very difficult to break down.
“We went down on Saturday knowing Ayr wouldn’t do that – and we were not planning on doing it either.”
The Staggies’ focus now switches to back-to-back home fixtures against Partick Thistle and Inverness, with County aiming to capitalise on any slip up by Ayr in pursuit of top spot.
Experienced pair Michael Gardyne and Iain Vigurs have returned to County’s bench in recent weeks following lengthy injuries, however Ferguson insists he and fellow co-manager Stuart Kettlewell must manage their squad carefully.
He added: “There are games against Partick Thistle and Caley Thistle coming up. We have to look after the short-term first and foremost, but there is a bigger picture as well.
“We certainly don’t want to set anyone back by rushing things in December. Sometimes it needs a common sense approach and a calm head.
“It is very much a team game. You’re marked on results, gauged on points picked up while you’re in the team.
“We would love to have a full squad to pick from – we don’t have – but we’re equally as happy with the players we do have to choose from.
“There are no easy games. We are going to need to show the same intensity, endeavour and willingness to put our bodies on the line in our next two home games as we have to do week-in, week-out in the Championship.”
