Steven Ferguson was delighted to get “a reaction” from the Ross County players after their Scottish Cup exit to Ayr United.
The Staggies drew 0-0 with Hearts in Dingwall last night to earn a Premiership point.
Co-boss Ferguson said: “It was much improved from Saturday. We asked the players for a reaction, and to get back to the principles we believe in.
“From the start right to the finish we could see that in abundance.
“I felt we were really unlucky not to go in at half-time ahead, I thought we were excellent in the first half and created a good few chances without managing to get a goal.
“The pleasing thing for Stuart Kettlewell and I was the intensity we played at, the body language and everything off the ball. We did well on the ball as well.
“We wanted three points. On another day we might have got them, but we didn’t.
“On the back of what we asked of the players, I don’t think they could have done any more.
“Hearts are always dangerous – they are full of good players and they are a huge club.
“We always know we are going to need a bit of luck, and we are going to need to defend really well if we are to not concede.
“We kept that clean sheet and rightly so. Everybody will credit the back four and goalkeeper with that, but I thought the midfield four in front of that and two strikers contributed to us being really difficult to play through.
“Collectively we felt we defended our goal well, so we were pleased with that.
“There was a right strong claim for a penalty in the second half that we didn’t get – you need that bit of luck to win games and that deserted us.
“Having seen it again on the video there was a clear handball at a corner.”
