Ross County manager Jim McIntyre says players on the sidelines must seize the opportunities presented to them.
County had enjoyed a four-game winning streak prior to Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Hamilton Accies, with McIntyre naming the same starting line-up throughout all four matches.
However, McIntyre was forced to make two changes for the trip to Lanarkshire, with attacker Liam Boyce ruled out with a calf strain, while midfielder Jackson Irvine was suffering from a dead leg, the pair being replaced by Jake Jervis and Filip Kiss.
Although he expects both Boyce and Irvine to be back in contention for Saturday’s Premiership match against Kilmarnock, McIntyre has challenged his players waiting in reserve to force their way into the Staggies line-up.
McIntyre said: “Liam did his calf at the end of training on Tuesday, he just felt it tighten up. He’s got a minor strain, so, hopefully, he’ll have a chance for the Kilmarnock game.
“Jackson got a dead leg at the start of training on Thursday. It was quite a sore one but he was probably just a day away from making it on Saturday. But he didn’t have full range of movement.
“I thought the boys who came in did well. The team has been on a good run and the boys on the side are desperate to be part of that. If they get the opportunity it’s up to them to take it.”
County were forced to dig deep against Accies on Saturday, with goals from Craig Curran and Michael Gardyne claiming a point after the Dingwall men had found themselves trailing 2-0 just 18 minutes into the game.
McIntyre was full of praise for both goalscorers but also paid tribute to Italian midfielder Raffaele De Vita for providing the assists for both Staggies goals, adding: “Raffaele has got great quality. He’s a very intelligent footballer who can put the ball in with both feet. He can make a yard and deliver a telling cross.
“It puts defences on the backfoot. One thing we spoke about before the game was to make sure we try and get in plenty crosses. We managed to do that and goals came from it, so that was pleasing.
“We’ve been encouraging both wide players to get in at the back post area because there’s a lot of goals scored there, so it was nice to see Michael listen.
“Craig Curran has also been excellent. He’s a bundle of energy and he’s chipping in with important goals at important times in games. He’s brilliant around the dressing-room and someone we think a lot of.”
County defender Marcus Fraser has been rewarded for his fine form in the club’s revival by being called into the Scotland under-21 squad for next week’s friendly against Hungary in Budapest.
Caley Thistle’s Ryan Christie has also been included in the squad.