Ross County left back Jamie Reckord is determined to earn a new contract with the Staggies, and avoid being left in the wilderness once again.
Reckord endured a frustrating five-month spell without a club following his release by Wolves, where he failed to make first-team appearance and had loan stints at Northampton Town, Scunthorpe United, Coventry City, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town.
His Dingwall opportunity came when County manager Jim McIntyre offered him a deal in October 2014 and 23-year-old Reckord has gone on to make 43 appearances for the Staggies.
Signing for County has given Reckord the stability he craved, but with his contract up in the summer the defender is eager to prove himself worthy of a new deal.
Reckord said: “I need to play as many games as possible to earn a new contract.
“I don’t want to be out of contract again. I was in that situation before I came to Ross County, and it’s not a nice feeling. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, so why not?
“Some of the loans spells earlier in my career worked, and some didn’t. I feel coming up here has helped my career though. I’ve got my confidence back and I’m playing well.
“I felt I played well last season and I think I’m coming back into some form now, so hopefully I can keep that up.”
County’s players aim to recover from the disappointment of Saturday’s 2-0 derby loss against Caley Thistle when they travel to Dunfermline in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
The Staggies are favourites in the tie, but the League 1 leaders could prove tricky opposition having gone 14 league matches without defeat.
Reckord will take a win at any cost and said: “Losing any game is disappointing, but losing a derby is a little bit more draining.
“Hopefully we can bounce back and get through to the next round of the cup on Saturday.
“We’re obviously favourites going into the game, there’s no doubt about it. It’s another game that we need to go out and try to win though.
“If we perform anywhere near our best, we should go there and get a win.
“We don’t care how we get it done. As long as we get into the next round, that’s the main thing.”