Returning Ross County defender Marcus Fraser is determined to play his part in helping the Staggies record more clean sheets this season.
Fraser missed the opening two months of the campaign after a shoulder operation in the summer, but made a successful comeback in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Rangers at Ibrox.
County manager Jim McIntyre made it his priority to tighten up a Staggies defence which conceded 61 goals in the Premiership last term, keeping just eight clean sheets, and signed defenders Jay McEveley, Erik Cikos and Kenny van der Weg.
Former Celtic defender Fraser is aiming to do his bit to help the Dingwall side keep the goals out, and he said: “I’ve had a few games with the Development squad which were good, then the manager put me in.
“It’s really given me a confidence-boost, and to get the 90 minutes with a good performance from the team, I’m really happy with that.
“Hopefully we can build on that now and get a few more clean sheets by defending as a team.
“It’s not only the back four who defended well on Saturday, it was the full team. Everyone was pressing from the front. It would have been good for the manager to see that as well.”
Fraser was selected at right back ahead of Slovakian defender Erik Cikos, who has impressed since rejoining the Staggies for a second spell in the summer.
Fraser relishes the competition, and the 22-year-old added: “That’s what I need to keep me on my toes all the time. There are good players there and everyone knows to get a shirt players need to be on top of their game.
“I got the call on Saturday so hopefully I can stay in the team. It’s up to me to prove what I can do.”
County face another tough encounter this weekend when they come up against Hearts at Tynecastle, however Fraser has called for the Staggies to build on their promising start to the campaign, with only two points separating the Highlanders, in seventh, from the second-placed Jambos.
He said: “It’s very tight, and if we get one win we can rise up a good few places. I’d say we’ve made a decent start, but we can always do better and that’s what we’re looking to do on Saturday.”
