Ross County co-manager Steven Ferguson is hopeful of a strong reaction after the Staggies’ six match unbeaten run was ended by Friday’s 1-0 loss to Morton.
County began 2019 in defeat by going down for the second time this season at Cappielow, although the Dingwall men remain top of the Championship following Ayr United’s loss to Falkirk on Saturday.
County’s defeat was only the third of their league campaign, and Ferguson has challenged his side to regain its consistency ahead of Saturday’s trip to Queen of the South.
Ferguson said: “We didn’t enjoy Friday night, but we had a great December where we picked up 11 points.
“There are going to be lots of twists and turns, and this is another one we will need to deal with.
“With the type of boys we’ve got – and how Stuart Kettlewell and I are – we self-assess all the time.
“Sometimes we can come away from games a little bit frustrated, and feeling there were things we could improve on.
“That will never stop and I hope it does not stop, because it means we are striving to do better.”
County have operated with a depleted squad in recent weeks and must wait to discover the extent of injuries which forced defender Callum Morris and midfielder Don Cowie off against Morton.
With Iain Vigurs, Liam Fontaine and Sean Kelly among those also sidelined, Ferguson insists the Staggies have not had their troubles to seek.
He added: “We need to see if we can get our boys fit and back out on the pitch, because we are dealing with a heck of a lot of boys that aren’t able to play at the moment.
“It has not been easy, but we were dealing with it fine up until now so we will certainly not be looking at that as an excuse.
“We had the same problems in December and we managed games better than we managed this one, so that’s where we stand with that one.”