Ross County have set a high benchmark at Victoria Park. but skipper Marcus Fraser reckons maintaining strong home form will breed success for the Staggies this season.
County opened their campaign in style with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Hamilton Accies in their first league match since winning promotion back to the Premiership, which they followed up with a creditable 0-0 draw against Hearts at Tynecastle.
The Staggies won 13 of their 18 Dingwall encounters on their way to winning the Championship title in their first full season under co-managers Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson last term.
County return to home action for the first time in three weeks this afternoon when they host Livingston, and defender Fraser feels his side have plenty to build upon.
Fraser said: “A 3-0 win at home against Hamilton was probably the best way to start the league campaign.
“But we know ourselves every game is not going to pan out that way, there are going to be some down periods in the game, but it’s about how we respond. If we can start the game well we have got a good chance.
“Home games are so important. You can say teams need to travel here or whatever, but we just need to use it to our advantage.
“We’ve got our fans here, we know the pitch and the surroundings. We need to make this our home and we have done that in the last year. We need to continue to do that.”
Livingston finished ninth after gaining promotion to the top-flight last term, and Fraser feels today’s match gives his side the opportunity to lay down a marker against Gary Holt’s men.
Fraser added: “The games against teams around you are your bread and butter, so to speak.
“At the start of the season everyone is close to each other, so it’s really important to get a wee gap or a wee few points ahead of somebody to get that bit of distance.
“Livingston picked up points against the teams around them last year. By the end of the season they may have tailed off a bit, but they got off to a great start last year and credit to them for that.
“We have started the season relatively well, so we want to continue that.”
Fraser feels recent displays have shown County are more than comfortable being back in the top-flight, with the 25-year-old adding: “The players want to play here and we have got the squad to do so.
“I think we have got the quality as well. The last couple of games of the league campaign have shown we are going to be a good side this season. On another day we could maybe have won at Tynecastle.
“That’s going to be the case over the course of the season. Some days we are not going to be at it but will get a win.”
