Malky Mackay feels Ross County have shown the durability to cope with the demands of the Scottish Premiership.
Although he says he made efforts to bring the average age down following his arrival last summer, Mackay feels his seasoned campaigners have just as important a role to play.
Mackay says the blend of youth and experience has created a more athletic squad at Victoria Park.
He said: “They’re not acting as if they’re a youthful team.
“Sometimes – and I’ve seen it – clubs can go down the line of going with youngsters and it invariably ends up in relegation.
“It can be dangerous – you need a smattering of more experienced people through your team. I think we’ve got that.
“We’ve brought the average age down, but it’s not a team of kids. A team of kids doesn’t work in the Premiership in Scotland.
“What we’ve got now is a really athletic team that I felt we needed. Maybe it wasn’t quite like that before, but it certainly is athletic now.
“With the rigours of this league and the small squad we have, we need them to be fit for the whole season.
“There’s no reason why, with a fair wind and a bit of luck, that can’t happen.
“In my best season, I played 60 games at the age of 32 in England’s Championship. Players should be able to do it if we train them properly.”
Return from break marks fresh start for Staggies
County return to action for the first time in 10 days when they make the Premiership trip to Hibernian on Saturday.
It follows an intense period of seven matches since the Staggies returned from the winter shutdown midway through last month.
Mackay, whose side are 10th in the table, feels his side can use the recent break to their advantage.
He added: “It was great to get the two or three days off. We are obviously out of the cup, which we would rather not be.
“But the amount of games we had back-to-back was an intense period. By the end of it, the squad were feeling it.
“The boys got two or three days away with their families and it has shown in terms of the bounce.
“They have come back into training looking really hungry coming into another period before the international break.
“There’s a real focus on going down to Hibs and doing well. The league is very tight in all aspects.”
