Malky Mackay reckons guiding Ross County into a chase for European football is as good as anything he’s achieved as a manager.
The 50-year-old is keen to make history by driving the Staggies into Continental competition for the first time ever by securing a Europa Conference League qualifying spot.
Having already landed a top-six place thanks to a gutsy 1-0 pre-split showdown win at Aberdeen, County are eager to be one of two teams below Hearts to clinch the final European position in the Premiership.
Mackay, who took over from John Hughes last summer, has led a transformation from top to bottom at the Dingwall club and, after a 10-match winless start, made them one of the form teams in the country.
They began their final five fixtures on Sunday with a 2-0 home loss against leaders Celtic.
Now, still in fifth place, one point behind Dundee United and ahead of Motherwell on goal difference, they’re preparing for Saturday’s trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts.
To be in this position, given where they’ve come from as a club over the past 10 months, fills Mackay with pride as he sets out to deliver for chairman Roy MacGregor, chief executive Steven Ferguson, the club staff and the supporters.
Former Celtic defender Mackay, who took charge of Scotland for a friendly 1-0 loss against the Netherlands at Pittodrie in 2017 while serving as SFA performance director, has previously led Cardiff City into the English Premier League and a League Cup final.
When asked how taking the Staggies into the upper half compares with past achievements, he said: “Really up at the top. I have been lucky in my career in terms of where you end up and how it works.
“After not being picked up as a YTS and working in a bank for four or five years and playing at Queens Park, whatever happens, your path leads a certain way.
“Not being kept on at Norwich, where they said you are surplus to requirements going into the Premier League, and then ending up at West Ham, which meant I ended up with promotion and then ended up at Watford and became manager – they are sliding door moments.
“But to be up here as a manager in the Premiership and for us to make the top six against the odds, I suppose you might say is up there.”
County’s ‘incredible’ top-flight record
And Mackay is quick to stress this season’s success for far has been down to the united efforts of everyone at the club and their supporters.
He said: “Reaching the top six was huge. It was massively pleasing for everyone at this football club. We are a small club with a small budget, punching above its weight to be in the Premiership in the first place.
“For a town the size of Dingwall, playing in a 6500-seater stadium, having sold out against Celtic and playing at the top end of Scottish football nine of the last 10 years is incredible.
“It’s a credit to the people who run this football club, chairman Roy MacGregor, chief executive Steven Ferguson and the staff here who run this club year in, year out.
“My task was to ensure I was not one of the guys who takes us down. For us to stay in the league then with five games to go, we can now prepare for next season.
“For us to finish in the top six within a pretty tough league, given the teams involved this season, is a massive thing for me.
“It is a real group effort, everyone pulling together and wearing two hats every day. It’s pleasing for them and for our fan base who have been through tough times.
“When we made the top six, it was great to have 500 people at Aberdeen, which was great for us to celebrate with at the end.
“I was delighted for them to see that happen at Pittodrie. A lot was at stake for both teams and it is another little memory Ross County fans can chalk up.”
County rode the storm after upheaval
During the early days when Mackay was shaping a new side from scratch, he kept the faith when results were going against them.
He saw enough from the group, after such big changes within the Global Energy Stadium, to suggest better days were coming.
He added: “It’s all about evidence from the pitch. I was seeing green shoots of recovery on the pitch.
“We had a brand-new group of people coming together. There were brave decisions made last summer by the board, the staff and myself with people leaving the football club.
“At the time, that was one of the criticisms we had from various quarters concerning this football club, but it was done for the right reasons.
“Those reasons then showed as evidence on the pitch.
“You had staff and players who had to get to know one another. We were looking to find the best formula when working with a small squad.
“Then you throw in us being one of the only clubs in the country docked points in the League Cup (for forfeiting games due to Covid).
“That gave us the inability to get to the latter stages of the League Cup to bring much-needed finances into the club.
“We had two (League Cup) defeats and we hadn’t even played a game yet, which was interesting.
“I could see in those early stages, we were running teams really close. We had games we should have won and that gave me confidence to say things just needed tweaked slightly.
“Okay, I maybe didn’t see the 5-0 win at Dundee coming (last October), but we were certainly playing well enough and, from that point, our confidence grew week by week.”
