Ross County manager Jim McIntyre is confident his side can cope despite the absence of two key players who are suspended for tomorrow’s crucial Scottish Premiership match against Hamilton Accies.
Defender Scott Boyd has a one-match ban after picking up his sixth yellow card of the campaign in the 1-1 draw against Motherwell nearly a fortnight ago.
Goalkeeper Mark Brown also misses out through suspension after being sent off in the dying minutes of last week’s 2-1 defeat by St Mirren – committing the foul that led to attacker Steven Thompson’s spot-kick winner.
Brown will be replaced by Spaniard Antonio Reguero, who hasn’t played since an error-ridden performance in the 4-0 defeat by Aberdeen in February.
However, McIntyre has several options to pick from in defence, with former Motherwell defender Steven Saunders having already deputised for Boyd.
Cameron Burgess and Abdoulaye Meite were signed after the turn of the year but both have yet to make a first-team appearance for the Staggies.
McIntyre believes he has the squad depth to offset the loss of two of the most experienced players in his squad.
McIntyre said: “It’s a no-brainer that Toni will play in goals. In defence we’ve got options.
“We have suffered suspensions before, we had a couple of them a few weeks back with Filip Kiss and Jackson Irvine being out. We have got good players who can come in and cover.”
Tomorrow’s match against Accies is vital for the Staggies, who are looking to finally secure Premiership safety after last weekend’s 2-1 defeat by bottom side St Mirren.
County are currently three points ahead of 11th-placed Motherwell, who play Saints tomorrow, but McIntyre refuses to believe a win for his side will be enough to avoid the relegation play-off position.
McIntyre added: “I don’t think we can say that a win would do it but it will be a big step.
“The other results will determine that. Hopefully, we win the match and we’re safe. That’s the best scenario for us.
“We’ve said all along, we can’t affect the other results. We want to get back to winning ways.”