Jack Baldwin insists he has no qualms about Partick Thistle being tipped to advance through the Premiership play-off final at Ross County’s expense.
The Staggies will face high-flying Championship outfit Thistle in a two-legged tie, with the Dingwall side’s top-flight status on the line.
Kris Doolan’s side have been on excellent form, having not been defeated in their last 10 matches. They racked up an 8-0 aggregate win over Ayr United in the semi-finals, and have netted 16 goals in their four play-off matches so far.
That has prompted suggestions Thistle go into the tie as favourites against a County side which finished 11th in the Premiership, however defender Baldwin is determined to do his talking on the pitch.
Baldwin said: “It’s not the first time we have been written off this season. We have always bounced back, and always shown what we have got in the squad.
“We have a bunch of lads in the changing room who have overcome these challenges throughout the season.
“We know on a whole, the season has not been good enough. We are not where we ideally wanted to be.
“But after a 6-1 defeat away at Hearts, four points adrift at the bottom of the league going into the split, people wrote us off, and we have come back.
“Again on Sunday, we had a chance to win the game and avoid this scenario. Whatever happened, happened, and we have now got a chance to bounce back again.
“People may be writing us off as ‘little old Ross County’ and favouring Partick with their momentum and results they have had coming into these two games.
“We keep ourselves tight within the dressing room, the management and coaching staff. We know what we’ve got to do to produce on Thursday.”
Baldwin eager for chance at redemption next season
County’s second-bottom finish comes just a year after they recorded a top-six placing in Malky Mackay’s first season in charge at Victoria Park.
Englishman Baldwin has been disappointed with the campaign, and he hopes to earn the chance to put that right next term by overcoming the test against the Jags.
He added: “We showed last season we can compete and mix with the best.
“There were other teams last year that probably felt they fell short, which allowed us to finish in a top-six position.
“After last season, we knew that people had always thought staying in the league with Ross County would be an achievement.
“We don’t want that, we’ve got enough talent in the dressing room and the squad.
“A club the size of Ross County would always kind of be pushed to one side, with a feeling they would do well to stay in the league.
“But we knew within the staff and the players that we don’t just want to be making up the numbers.
“We want to be competing and challenging in that position again.
“Consistency has not been there for the whole season, but I think we have shown on many occasions what we can do.
“It’s just a case of showing we can do that more often going forward.
“We’ve got two massive games to get through first, and we will go from there.”
Baldwin looking to start tie on front foot
Thistle will be a new opponent for Baldwin, who joined County from Bristol Rovers in summer 2021.
The 29-year-old is determined to lay down a marker with a strong result in Thursday’s first leg at Firhill.
He added: “We have watched a bit of Partick, and the manager will then run through how we want to approach the game.
“For me personally, it’s a case of going down there with a solid foundation and being hard to beat.
“We have so much talent in the squad, that we are always going to get openings and chances in the game.
“When they do arise, we have plenty in the squad to create chances and score goals.
“As long as we keep that foundation solid behind those creative attacking players, we will give ourselves a great chance to get a result down at Partick.”
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