Ross County manager John Hughes has called for rogues in his side in order to help the Staggies clinch Premiership survival.
County have slipped into the relegation play-off spot with just three matches remaining, with the Dingwall side trailing 10th placed Kilmarnock by two points ahead of Saturday’s trip to Scottish Cup semi-finalists Dundee United.
The Staggies are without a win in their last five games, with their only clean sheet in 2021 coming in a 1-0 victory over Celtic in February.
Hughes has called for his team to show grit to escape the threat of relegation, and he said: “In terms of effort and commitment, it has never been in question. They are a right good, honest, hard-working bunch of boys.
“The first thing I do when I go into a football club is to separate the person from the footballer, and every one of them is a smashing boy.
“That might be a wee problem though, maybe I need three or four rogues in my team. When they go on that pitch they need to be streetwise and know how to see the game out.”
County’s 3-1 defeat to St Mirren last Wednesday means they now have the poorest defensive record in the Premiership having conceded 64 goals in 35 games, while they are also the league’s lowest scorers with 29 goals.
Hughes has picked an experienced starting line-up in County’s last two matches against Kilmarnock and Saints, however he also feels his younger players have to show a similar level of game management.
He added: “In the first half against St Mirren I thought we had a bit of craftiness because we had the experience, but then their legs started going a wee bit.
“We see that from the distances as the game goes on, and that’s when we have to get the fresh legs on.
“When you put younger ones on you need them to show that craftiness, and also that anticipation of where the ball is falling. They need to know where to be.
“It’s just these wee things we are not great at.
“When we did the substitutions I felt they gave us that freshness, but we can’t keep that back door shut.
“That’s going to have to change for the last three games. It was the same against Inverness, Kilmarnock and St Mirren – something has to change.”
Hughes retains belief his side can avoid the drop, having claimed victories against the likes of Celtic, Hibernian and Aberdeen earlier in the campaign.
After facing United this weekend, County will wait another 11 days before their next game at home to Hamilton Accies, before ending the campaign away to Motherwell on May 16.
Hughes has urged the Staggies to grasp the opportunity they have in their remaining three matches, and he added: “We want to keep playing and know what our fate is.
“We will get them back in, pick them up and get going again.
“We just have to stand up to it. There is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves.
“I keep saying it, and it’s my message to the fans and everybody connected to Ross County.
“We have not done what we have done, in terms of beating Celtic, Aberdeen and Hibs, for no reason.
“We have got the results to give ourselves a chance to stay in the Premiership, or else we would have been well dead and gone.
“We have given ourselves a chance, we are still in there and let’s go and take the chance.”
