A new year has brought a new challenge for Ross County – finding a short-term replacement for leading scorer Liam Boyce.
Northern Ireland international Boyce will sit out his club’s bid to cement a top six place in the Scottish Premiership and reach the fifth round of the Scottish Cup this month following a broken hand.
The injury, suffered in County’s 3-2 win against Kilmarnock in the final game of 2015, also places the Staggies’ attacker, who has scored 17 goals in 24 games this season, in the doubtful category as he tries to get fit for the League Cup semi-final at the end of January against Celtic.
Life without the talismanic figure began in the 50th Highland derby on Saturday where County were the first visitors across the Kessock Bridge.
Boyce’s importance to the County cause this campaign has been crucial in the club’s surge into the top six of the top flight, but as big a blow as his absence was for manager Jim McIntyre, his spell on the sidelines has given Dutch forward Alex Schalk the opportunity he has been craving.
Saturday’s game was Schalk’s eighth appearance of the campaign for County, but his first start and his importance to the cause became even greater when Boyce’s regular attacking partner Craig Curran was forced off after a head injury.
The sight of Curran, who has missed six weeks of the campaign due to concussion already, departing the fray will be a worry for the player and his manager and his withdrawal meant a makeshift new partnership of Schalk and Brian Graham was formed.
Boyce and Curran’s partnership has developed in the past 12 months so to expect Graham and Schalk to form the same understanding in the space of 70 minutes was asking too much.
Frustratingly for his watching manager, Schalk struggled to impose himself on the game.
The difference between the attacks was the deciding factor on Saturday as County enjoyed good possession in the Caley Jags half, but when it came to the all-important part of being able to put the ball in the back of the net it was Inverness who held the upper hand.
Miles Storey was the man in the Caley Jags team who reminded the visitors of the importance of having a forward in form on the pitch.
He led the line well and had a clear understanding with James Vincent – the two qualities County lacked throughout the game on the day.
The Staggies had been the better team in the opening 25 minutes before finding themselves trailing to a Storey goal. It was scrappy with the County defence failing to clear their lines from Greg Tansey’s corner and when Vincent powered the ball towards goal from the edge of the box Storey was on hand to guide the low drive past Scott Fox.
Conceding the first goal is nothing new for County as they’ve done it in the last two matches and come back to win them, and their response was strong to falling behind with Andrew Davies having his header from Rocco Quinn’s corner saved by Owain Fon Williams. That missed chance was to prove crucial in first half added time as the home side doubled its lead when Tansey’s free kick was missed by everyone in the box before bouncing past the unsighted Fox and into the net.
Storey struck the crossbar with a fierce 25-yard shot in the second half as County left gaps in trying to chase a lifeline back into the game and Schalk’s disappointing day was mercifully brought to an end with 25 minutes remaining.
Whether he gets another chance remains to be seen.
If he does, a better understanding with Graham or Curran, should his absence from first team action be short, could determine whether he stays in the side.
After all, a certain Mr Boyce will be hoping to be back in the fray soon.