Ross County midfielder Blair Spittal is thankful for the quick opportunity for redemption in tonight’s Premiership match against Hearts.
The Staggies exited the Scottish Cup courtesy of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Championship side Ayr United, marking a disappointing start to 2020 for the Dingwall men.
County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell was critical of the Staggies’ display at Somerset Park, citing frustrations with the body language of his players during the tie.
Spittal is glad of an early chance to clear the match from his system, and he said: “I think the performance justified the reaction from the managers – I think you have to be ready for that.
“We were rubbish – to be brutally honest. We need to just get that out of our systems, and what better way to do it than a home game against Hearts?
“It has probably been the best thing for us, that we have not had a lot of time to mull over it.
“We’ve just had to dust ourselves down. We’re not waiting until next Saturday, the games are coming around thick and fast now.”
Tonight’s visit of Hearts to Victoria Park marks the start of a busy period of league action for County, who have trips to Celtic, Rangers and Kilmarnock within the space of seven days next week.
Spittal is determined to start with a victory over Daniel Stendel’s bottom of the table Jambos, with the former 24-year-old adding: “We need to make sure we capitalise on the fact we have a home game. It’s an important period for us and we need to start it the right way.
“It’s that stage of the season where there isn’t as much training as there is at the start. It’s game recovery.
“We have got a big squad, so we will have to make sure everybody is on their toes and ready for their chance.
“There are boys that have probably not played as much as they would have liked, but the managers have stressed it’s going to be a whole squad effort to get us to where we want to be this season.”
Spittal has been forced to show patience since his move from Partick Thistle in the summer, with only six league starts to his name, however the former Dundee United player feels the second half of the campaign marks a fresh start.
He added: “The last time I spoke to the press I said it had been frustrating over the last couple of months, not playing as much as I would have liked.
“The managers have been good with me. When I have come into the side they have told me where I’ve done well and where I possibly could have done better.
“The managers said it’s almost like a clean slate. When you’ve got the jersey you’ve got to make sure you keep it.”
