Ross County midfielder Martin Woods has signed an extension to his contract that will keep him at Victoria Park until the summer.
Staggies manager Jim McIntyre brought Woods to Victoria Park on a short-term deal in October, with the former Sunderland and Leeds United player having consolidated his position at the heart of County’s midfield with 10 appearances.
Woods has agreed to extend his stay with the Dingwall club until the end of the campaign, with defender Paul Quinn expected to follow suit later in the week.
The 28-year-old Woods missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Dundee with a hamstring injury but McIntyre is delighted to have secured the player for the remainder of the campaign as County try to lift themselves off the bottom of the Premiership.
McIntyre said: “He’s a fantastic pro. I think he’s getting better and better with his fitness levels. He had a slight hamstring problem which he gets from time to time, which was why he missed the game on Sunday.”
Another player to have committed to the Staggies cause for the next six months is attacker Craig Curran, who signed a short-term deal with the club last week.
Curran was short of match fitness having been without a club since leaving Nuneaton Town in November but McIntyre was pleased his gamble over Curran’s fitness paid off, with his new signing coming up with a debut goal that earned County a precious Scottish Premiership point against Dundee on Sunday.
McIntyre was pleasantly surprised the 25-year-old was able to play the majority of the match.
McIntyre added: “It was a risk, there’s no doubt about that. When you look at the signings we made when we first came in, apart from Paul Quinn who we threw in right away, the rest we had to bring up to speed.
“But we just felt with Craig’s tenacity and natural enthusiasm we felt we’d get a good hour out of him, maybe a good 45 minutes. That’s the way we chose to go.
“He managed to give us 78 minutes, so it was a great shift from him. He’ll be rested up this week and get the legs ready to go again. I’m sure he’ll do well.”
Meanwhile, McIntyre confirmed his interest in Celtic defender Marcus Fraser, who trained with the Staggies last week.
However, the County manager says any deal for the 20-year-old remains in the balance.
He said: “Marcus was here last week for two days. We had a we look at him, but his agent has taken him down to England now.”