Ross County captain Paul Quinn is closing in on a return to action after an absence of more than a month with a hamstring injury.
Quinn has missed County’s last three matches through the injury, having played through the pain for several weeks beforehand.
Having eased his way back to fitness, the 31-year-old is now back in training, although tomorrow’s Premiership match against Hearts could come too soon for the former Aberdeen defender.
Staggies manager Jim McIntyre is pleased with the way his defence has adapted to the absence of the skipper.
He said: “Paul is coming on great. He took part in most of the sessions on Thursday and bit by bit he’s been getting stronger.
“Jay McEveley and Andrew Davies have looked strong together, with Kenny van der Weg and Marcus Fraser on either side of that. I have been pleased with the last couple of games but it is work in progress.
“We have to keep doing the right things. The biggest thing for defenders is concentration. In the modern-day game they can’t go to ground, so they have to be switched on and their positioning is good and they make good decisions. That comes from their concentration levels.”
McIntyre has been pleased with the recent impact of Dutch left back van der Weg, who initially found game-time limited after moving from NEC Breda in the summer, but has enjoyed a strong run in the team of late.
He added: “Kenny can play. He is what I would class as a typical Dutch player, who likes to pass it from the back. When he gets into a forward area he can dig a good ball out. That’s important. I need my full backs to get into forward areas and, when they do that, deliver. He’s had a couple of assists this season. That’s good to see.”
The possibility of a return for Quinn is a boost but County will continue to be without midfielders Martin Woods and Chris Burke, who is still trying to shake off a viral infection.
McIntyre added: “Martin will miss out this weekend as he’ll need an injection in his back and Chris saw a specialist earlier in the week and is still unavailable.”
