Ross County manager John Hughes says the Staggies have shown their ability to develop players following the moves of Ross Stewart and Josh Reid to England.
The Staggies sold both players for six-figure fees in the closing days of the January transfer window, with forward Stewart joining League One outfit Sunderland and Reid signing for Championship side Coventry City.
Stewart and Reid become the latest Staggies players to earn moves to England, with Jackson Irvine, Liam Boyce, Jamie Lindsay and the recently-returned Jason Naismith having all departed Dingwall to move south of the border in recent years.
Although Hughes says losing the pair is a blow in the Staggies’ attempts to remain in the Premiership, he recognises the reputation County have gained for honing players to make a step up in their careers reflects well on the Victoria Park outfit.
Hughes said: “I would want to keep them for selfish reasons because they are good players and that’s why they have moved on.
“Everything about Ross County is giving players the platform to develop and a stage and if bigger clubs come in for them, especially the likes of Sunderland and Coventry, you are jumping through hoops for them.
“There is a selfish side and the fans will be the same in thinking we are trying to stay in the Premiership. I understand that but you won’t get anything right for getting it wrong.
“The chairman is true to his word, he always says he won’t stand in a players’ way and he stuck to that.”
The Staggies did not make any further additions to their squad prior to last night’s transfer deadline, following the January arrivals of Jordan White, Leo Hjelde, Tony Andreu, Mohamed Maouche and Joe Hilton.
Hughes is content with the options at his disposal for the run in, adding: “We are well covered. The chairman has been absolutely brilliant, he has let us do what we had to do.
“We’ve got really good numbers to pick from, so we are ready to go between now and the end of the season in pursuit of trying to keep the club in the Premiership.”
Hughes will come up against a familiar face in a crucial bottom of the table encounter tomorrow night, when the Staggies take on Brian Rice’s Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park.
Rice is a long-time accomplice of Hughes, having been his assistant at Falkirk, Hibernian and Caley Thistle before taking the step into management with Accies.
The 57-year-old moved to Caledonian Stadium after Hughes’ previous assistant Russell Latapy departed following Inverness’ Scottish Cup triumph in 2015.
Rice remains a close friend of Hughes, and says he is relishing the challenge of facing him in the survival battle.
Hughes added: “The one disappointment I have had is the fact he wasn’t with me when we won the Scottish Cup. He came the season after but I felt he deserved that moment for all we had been through together. He deserved to be lifting silverware, but it is all about timing and where you are at that time.
“It won’t be strange. We spoke the other day and I was laughing as he was indirectly trying to pick my brain and I did with his. There is a great respect there between us and he is a great football man.
“We were always on the front foot to keep ahead of the game and Brian has taken that into management. I am delighted he is his own man.”
