Roy MacGregor says the collective desire shown by Ross County’s players this season prompted him to break down in the dressing room last weekend.
The Staggies clinched a top-six place last weekend, courtesy of a dramatic 1-0 victory over fellow challengers Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
It is the first time in six years the Staggies have finished in the top-half, in Malky Mackay’s first season in charge.
Following the match, Mackay revealed an emotional MacGregor greeted the Staggies’ players in the dressing room at full-time to congratulate them on their achievement.
Although MacGregor says his tearful reaction was out of character, he says it underlined the spirit that has been created at Dingwall.
MacGregor said: “I’m really not one for going in to mix with the football team.
“Malky asked me to come to the changing room, and then I asked Steven Ferguson to come to the changing room.
“There was a bit of high jinks and celebration, but Malky asked me to say a few words.
“For the first time in my life I broke down. I didn’t see it coming.
“I just looked in that dressing room and saw the eyes of young people that were on a journey. They have all come from different parts of the country, but it wasn’t one or two players that carried us.
“As I was about to speak to them, tears were running down my cheeks and my voice was gone. I don’t even remember what I said in the two or three minutes.
“I don’t normally do that but it was not for me – it was for them.
“They are young lads who have got a bond and a camaraderie that has carried them far beyond their technical ability.
“They are growing and getting better, and the manager is getting the best out of them.”
Fans have key role in County’s push for European football
County’s work is far from done, with their top-six finish putting them firmly in contention to challenge for an unprecedented European place.
Should Hearts defeat Hibernian in this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final, a fifth-placed finish would be enough for the Staggies to achieve that feat for the first time in their history.
County were backed by around 500 supporters at Pittodrie, with the jubilant players greeting the away end at full-time.
With the Staggies handed three further home fixtures after the split, MacGregor hopes the supporters can play their part in a further push for glory.
He added: “When you look at the big teams, such as Liverpool, you see the manager is on the pitch afterwards, and the players are on the pitch afterwards.
“You see that bond throughout the whole team, and a recognition of the fans from them and the manager. We are seeing that here.
“It showed that we are on a journey. There were a lot of question marks at the start of the journey but we have got all we expected on the journey and there is a lot more to come.
“Supporters who have been on the journey have seen a team spirit and camaraderie.
“The belief from the top to the bottom, from the board to the fan, has been consistent. That’s where you get winning teams.
“The spirit has been great. We were losing soft goals at the start of the season, but we have turned ourselves into a very formidable unit.
“There’s plenty alive, with five games to go to try and get a European place.
“Where we are is a reward for the season after a challenging start when we were hit by Covid.
“Even in the first 10 games, we were playing better than our results.
“We were just making little mistakes and we stopped taking chances. But in the last 23 games our points return is very good and there is now the chance to get into Europe.”
Staggies to apply more structure to recruitment
Efforts are already underway to tie down much of the existing squad on new deals, with Jordan White, Jordan Tillson and Connor Randall among those to commit so far.
County added a number of loan players following Mackay’s arrival last summer, however MacGregor expects a longer-term approach to recruitment will be forthcoming.
He added: “It was an early start to the season and the players we signed just freshened us up.
“We had to get our recruitment guy (Enda Barron) on board.
“We are now planning two windows ahead. I think you will see far more structure and rationale behind our recruitment.
“We will see more shape, discipline and camaraderie from players who have been there and are hungry to do a job.”
