Jordan Tillson believes Ross County can use the international break to their advantage ahead of an important upcoming run of fixtures.
The Staggies have taken five points from their opening seven matches, and sit 10th in the Premiership.
County return to action against Hibernian at Victoria Park on Saturday, before a second home game in quick succession against Motherwell three days later.
It kick-starts a hectic run of nine matches before the league shuts down on November 12 for the World Cup.
County did not win any of their opening 10 matches last season, before going on to stage an excellent turnaround in form which saw them claim a top-six place.
Midfielder Tillson felt the international breaks were beneficial in the Staggies’ attempts to regroup, and he hopes they can have a similar effect this time around.
Tillson said: “We’re kind of used to these breaks in the season now, where it is time to get some serious work in.
“Also, it is time to get a bit of rest, given the period of games we have coming up between this break and the winter break for the World Cup.
“It is going to be an important time for us in terms of what it could mean for our season.
“The international break last year definitely helped us kick on a bit after a difficult start. It was a refresh at that point.
“We’ll similarly try to use this spell as a platform going into the next part of the campaign.”
Staggies searching for more points following encouraging start
Tillson feels there is plenty of encouragement for County to take from their start to the season, which saw them handed a difficult opening run of fixtures.
The Englishman is determined to start racking up more points in the weeks to come, however.
He added: “So far this season I feel we’ve put some good performances in, playing some of the really tough teams in the league – Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen and Hearts.
“They are all tough games to play in and I feel like we put in good performances against all of them.
“The next bit now is about picking up results and climbing the table.”
Midfielder confident County’s new recruits will click
Tillson is among the longest-serving members of the County squad, having joined from Exeter City in January 2020.
He recently extended his stay at Dingwall, signing a two-year contract extension in March.
The 29-year-old is confident the 10 new players brought in by manager Malky Mackay during the summer will adapt to the rigours of Scottish football.
He added: “We have a good core of players that have been here for the whole time the manager has been here.
“We understand what he wants and we’re trying to help get everyone else onto the same page.
“The signs are good and there’s going to be a point, hopefully, where it is all going to click and we go on a good run.
“It is a different environment for players compared to England where you play midweek matches a lot more.
“Everything here is geared up towards the Saturday normally and that’s your chance to perform.
“The quicker everyone gets used to it, the better.”
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