Jamie Lindsay believes history will show the scale of Ross County’s achievement should the Staggies clinch the Championship title at the first time of asking tonight.
County are virtually guaranteed top spot, and need just a point from tonight’s home game against Queen of the South in order to confirm them as champions.
Should the Staggies secure the result they need, they will become only the fifth club since the turn of the millennium to bounce straight back following relegation from the top-flight.
After Dunfermline clinched immediate promotion in 2000, Highland rivals Caley Thistle became the next side to do so under Terry Butcher in 2010. Dundee succeeded under Paul Hartley in 2014, with Hearts following suit 12 months later.
Lindsay, who joined County permanently from Celtic last summer after spending the previous campaign on loan, says his side will be due huge credit when they buck the trend.
Lindsay said: “I didn’t realise that was the case, but the managers mentioned it after the game. It is obviously a good achievement.
“Dundee United have been down in the Championship for three or four years. Rangers didn’t go straight up, and Hibs were the same.
“If we can get it over the line – and I’m sure we will – it will be a great achievement.
“I always believed we could do it, even in pre-season when I saw the squad being put together. All the boys believed we could win the league.
“It has been our goal since the start of the season and now we’re one point away from making it happen. Obviously that’s exciting.”
Lindsay feels his side set the tone for the season with a fine start, and feels they have shown strong resolve to deal with any adverse results, with the Staggies going down just six times in the league this term.
He added: “With the injuries we’ve had this season – seven or eight players who started the season ended up out for a long time – the full squad has come together.
“The good start we made was crucial. We spoke about the importance of that in pre-season and the game that always sticks in my mind is Dunfermline away.
“People were saying if we could go down there and get a result, it would show teams what we were about and we won convincingly.
“It just went from there. We’ve had a few bad defeats – you look back at Queen of the South away when we got beaten 4-0 – but we’ve always bounced back.
“It has been brilliant, with some tough days in it, but that’s what will make it even better when we do finally get over the line.”
With the Staggies on the verge of securing a double, Lindsay feels the team’s success vindicates his decision to return to Dingwall, adding: “It has been brilliant. If anyone had told me at the start I was going to have the kind of season I have had, I’d have been thrilled.
“To score the goals I have, including a goal in the IRN-BRU Cup final, and then to possibly win the league, I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“We’ve put ourselves in this position and credit to everybody at the club. We deserve it. Hopefully we can put a good performance on and get the three points.”
