Regan Charles-Cook thanked his Ross County team-mates as he collected the Scottish Premiership player of the month prize for January.
The Staggies winger has bagged 11 goals this season in Scotland’s top-flight, including in the 2-1 win at Dundee on Saturday as 10th-placed County moved seven points clear of St Johnstone and eight ahead of Dundee in bottom spot.
Last month, his brace in a 3-1 win against Motherwell and goals in a 2-1 defeat at Dundee United and in the 3-3 thriller with Rangers put and kept the winger first in the scoring charts.
The @cinchuk Premiership's top scorer with another on Saturday 🔥@R_charlescook – 1⃣1⃣ league goals#cinchPrem | @RossCounty pic.twitter.com/AVryu0O99M
— SPFL (@spfl) February 7, 2022
His form throughout January was recognised with the individual prize and the 24-year-old pointed to his colleagues for helping him soar this season.
He said: “It’s nice to get an individual award, but I wouldn’t have got it if it wasn’t for the team.
“We’re just so together. They’re so encouraging, we all get around each other.
“The other day is the perfect example – I missed a penalty (against Dundee), but afterwards every single one of them got around me and told me to keep my head up because I could be the match winner.
“They have so much belief in me, the staff and the players, and I went and scored the winner.
“It just shows how much courage and belief they have in me.”
Scoring goals is bonus – Charles-Cook
When asked whether he’d ever have thought he’d be leading the Premiership scoring charts in the second week in February, he admits that was never in his thinking.
Charles-Cook said: “I never envisaged it, but I just want to help the team in any way possible – whether that’s scoring or defending.
“I just want to help the team get to where we want to get to. I just take every game as it comes.
“I don’t go into a game thinking I’m going to score, my first thought is: ‘How are we going to get three points?’
“That’s how I do things, and that’s how the team does things.
“If I score, it’s a bonus, and I just want to help the team in any way possible.”
County only looking up the table
County host Livingston on Wednesday, knowing a victory would take them above the Lions and even potentially St Mirren and Aberdeen, should results fall in line.
Charles-Cook insists the group above them are firmly in their sights.
He added: “We don’t want to look behind us any more, we want to look forward.
“We see how close the middle section is. I think we’re four points away from the top six, but we’ve just got to focus on us.
“We can’t worry about anyone else. The next game is the most important game – that’s the way we see it.”
Staggies dangerous for league rivals
County’s tally of 37 goals makes them the biggest scorers in the league outwith Rangers (54) and Celtic (53).
Against Dundee, and not for the first time this term, they have hit back from a goal down to get a positive result.
Charles-Cook reckons any opponent will be wary of them as they continue their improvement under boss Malky Mackay.
He added: “I think opponents see us a as a team to fear.
“We’ve scored the third most goals in the league, so going forward I think they will see us as a huge threat.
“The confidence we are going into each game with is really important. The changing room is just buzzing right now, and I’m really impressed with the team.
“It’s not good to start on the backfoot when we go a goal down, but we seem to be bouncing back at the moment, which is really good.
“If we don’t need to bounce back and just go from the start, even better.”
And the Grenada international reckons there’s even more to come from the Dingwall side in the closing months.
He said: “I don’t want to say what our targets are, but we’re looking forward now.
“There’s a lot more to come from Ross County, you haven’t seen the best of us yet.
“We’ve still got a good 20 or 30 percent to go, and we can’t wait to show it.”
Dingwall great stage for youngsters
With a large number of players moving from all over the UK to enjoy their football at the Global Energy Stadium, Charles-Cook says he’d have no hesitation recommending the club to others in future.
He said: “This club has created a massive platform for me and all of the younger players.
“As you can see, all the younger players are relishing it and loving every moment of it.
“You speak to them individually – you’ve got Joe (Hungbo) here loving it, Jake (Vokins) who is loving it, Kayne (Ramsay) has come in and Declan (Drysdale).
“All the younger ones who have been here in the past as well – they see the plan that Ross County are trying to create, and it’s working.
“So I would 100 percent recommend that any young player comes to Ross County to play here. It’s a great platform to go and show your talents, and this place allows you to express yourself with no fear.
“The place just puts a smile on your face and makes you love football.”
