Malky Mackay remains adamant Ross County have what it takes to haul themselves off the foot of the Premiership table.
The Staggies remain in 12th position following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock, albeit level on points with Dundee United.
Having won two of their opening 12 fixtures, County will aim to add to their points tally when they host Hearts on Sunday.
The Dingwall outfit propped up the table in the early part of last season, having failed to win any of their opening 10 matches.
Mackay went on to oversee an excellent turnaround, which saw them ultimately finish in the top-six.
The Staggies boss believes he is seeing the right signs to suggest they can improve their fortunes again this time around.
Mackay said: “I can’t be too down and disappointed by my team because of the manner we applied ourselves against Kilmarnock. We just need to be more clinical.
“That comes back to training – if you’re missing targets, that’s one thing, but we’re making goalkeepers make saves, so we’ll keep at it.
“With the other results, it’s still quite tight and we were here last year. I’m seeing a team that are in games, and that’s what I need to see.”
Callachan to be assessed
A moment of concern came early in the match against Killie when midfielder Ross Callachan limped off with a hamstring injury.
Callachan has been a stellar performer since Mackay made him his first signing as County manager on a deal from Hamilton Accies in 2021.
Mackay says Callachan will be assessed, adding: “It was his hamstring. I think he’s played every game since he came to the club, so it’s really unfortunate.
“He’s a terrific player, so with him going off it was a loss, but I thought Yan Dhanda was also terrific.
“We’ll send him for a scan early on this week to see how bad it is.”
Harmon impact pleases Staggies boss
Left-back George Harmon was also forced off late in the match due to cramp.
It was Harmon’s first game back in the side since August, having recovered from his own hamstring problem.
Harmon was quickly drafted back into the side due to an ankle injury suffered by fellow full-back Ben Purrington, with Mackay pleased with the former Oxford City defender’s performance.
Mackay added: “He had a bit of cramp because he’s been out for three months.
“For my left-back to come in and do that after being out for so long, and only training for four days, he was outstanding.
“Not just his defending, it was his keeping of the ball and his link-up play with Owura Edwards to get to the byline three or four times as well.
“He was just done. By rights he should have been playing 45 minutes, but the injury to Ben Purrington hasn’t helped that. We had to put George in, but he did so well.”
Conversation