Ross County manager Malky Mackay feels the Staggies have shown enough encouraging signs in their opening league fixtures to suggest they can compete strongly in this season’s Premiership.
The Staggies claimed a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen at Pittodrie, and were only denied all three points by a late Christian Ramirez goal which cancelled out Regan Charles-Cook’s first half strike.
The result adds a second point to the Staggies’ haul from a difficult run of opening fixtures, which will see them having faced last season’s top-five by the time they play their next match away to Celtic on September 11.
Mackay is confident the Staggies can prove those who have tipped them for the drop wrong, and he said: “We have quite clearly been tipped as the team to be relegated this year and that’s okay. But if I look at the first four games, the way we played against St Johnstone, the second half against Hibs, still being in the game against Rangers with four minutes to go, then the way we played against Aberdeen, if we keep going like that then we will be okay.
“Do I use being tipped as a source of motivation? You look at it and say that’s what people think and that’s okay.
“It’s natural, I don’t have a problem with it. But what we need to do is make sure we are more than the sum of our parts and that we go into every match making sure teams are in a game. We did that against Aberdeen. We need to do that week in week out.”
Despite being denied a maiden league victory since taking charge of the Staggies in the summer, Mackay remained upbeat following his side’s display against the Dons.
Mackay said: “I’m really proud of them. It was like the walking wounded at the end.
“I’m proud in one sense and disappointed in another because of the chances we created.
“I’ve got great respect for Aberdeen. It’s always going to be a tough game.
“They are a terrific club with a good fanbase and it’s always a good atmosphere. They have a huge squad with real investment in it in the last couple of weeks.
“I would normally be delighted with a point but we are disappointed because of the chances we created and the way we played and the issues we caused Aberdeen.
“I was also really happy with how we went on the front foot again after Aberdeen scored their goal and we created a couple more half chances. I’m proud that we played the way we did against a good Aberdeen team.”