Malky Mackay insists fans will be gripped to see how the many battles within the Scottish Premiership will play out in the closing months.
The Ross County boss could see his side reach seventh place on Wednesday if they defeat Livingston and Aberdeen and St Mirren lose against Celtic and St Johnstone respectively, albeit the Dons currently have a five-goal advantage right now.
Celtic’s stirring 3-0 win over Rangers last week followed by convincing victories for the Old Firm at the weekend sees the Hoops lead by just one point.
Motherwell were beaten 4-0 by the Hoops on Sunday, while Hearts fell to a 5-0 loss at Ibrox, but still hold a 10-point cushion over fourth-placed Well in what has been a strong season for the Jambos.
📺 Our CEO Steven Ferguson will be joining Jamie Lyall & Stephen Craigan this Wednesday night for all the build up on RCFCTV from 7.10pm.
Ferg who has also been a player, Academy Director and Co-Manager for County, led us to a Championship & Challenge Cup double in 2018/19
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) February 8, 2022
There are battles and chases throughout the division and Mackay believes this is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating top table campaigns.
He said: “It’s as tough a league as it has been in years, with Hearts back in the league and Hibs back from the time when they were out of it. Everyone can see how competitive it is.
“There are teams going through little spells and being dragged into the (lower) pack. If you look at where Dundee United, Aberdeen and Hibs are, they are not a million miles away from the three or four teams underneath.
“It’s amazing what’s going on in our league this season. The top two are involved in a battle which is exciting for everyone who has an interest in it.
“Hearts have really shown they are the third-best team in the country, then after that it’s interesting as to where things are going.
“In January, teams have had a bit of a shake-up with their squads, so how does it settle after that? It’s interesting this season as we look at where the split is going to be and it’s keeping everyone on their toes.”
Livi Lions will be dangerous again
Tomorrow night, 10th-placed County will overtake Livingston in the league if they beat them for the first time this season.
The Lions, who defeated Aberdeen 2-1 in West Lothian at the weekend, go head-to-head with a Staggies side who won by the same scoreline at Dundee.
Livi scored a 3-2 victory in Dingwall in October thanks to a late Tom Parkes goal and it was 1-1 at Almondvale with Ayo Obileye netting at the death to deny County a win.
Then, in the Scottish Cup last month, Livingston got the better of a side hampered by injuries with a 1-0 win, with Obileye scoring from the spot.
Mackay anticipates another testing 90 minutes against capable opponents, with both sides no doubt looking more towards mid-table than over their shoulders.
He said: “I’m expecting nothing other than we’ve had in the last three games against Livingston.
“They are a team who work ever so hard. David Martindale has got his team working well. I know it’s going to be a tough game.
“They’re on a good run and they’re a team we know well. We came up against them recently in the Scottish Cup down there and our side with different in terms of the injuries we had that week.
“Livingston work hard and are dangerous, so we know what to expect. We’re really looking forward to Wednesday night.”
David Cancola and Jack Burroughs are the two main absentees for County in midweek as Mackay should have an otherwise strong pool of players to pick from.
Players coping with tough schedule
Mackay praised the team for coping with a heavy run of matches lately, which will be followed after tomorrow by a break until February 19 when they go to Hibernian.
The boss said: “I’ve been really impressed with the fitness of the team at the weekend. We’ve come off the back of a run of a lot of midweek games and we go into another one this Wednesday.
“It’s a balance between when we train the players and their time off then there are times when you are just recovering between games and we are in the video suite to sit down and talk about the next team.
“On Monday, it was a case of ‘the Dundee game has gone, let’s start on Livingston for the next two days’.
“There has been heavy bouts of games and then there are periods of inactivity, for example with us not being in the Scottish Cup this weekend.”
Sims linked with move north
County, meanwhile, have today been linked with a move for a former Southampton player.
They already have Jake Vokins and Kayne Ramsay at the Global Energy Stadium until the summer and they’re reportedly keen on right winger Josh Sims.
The 24-year-old is a free agent, who most recently was on loan at Doncaster.
When asked about movement for another post-window move this week, Mackay confirmed a move for a loan player is “definitely” still in the pipeline.
The Staggies boss also explained having January’s Premiership player of the month Regan Charles-Cook at the top of the scoring charts with 11 goals is another useful factor in attracting players to the Highlands.
