Ross County manager Malky Mackay believes keeping the first leg scoreline down to a 2-0 defeat against Partick Thistle has kept the Staggies in with a chance in their Premiership play-off.
County suffered defeat in Glasgow, with Aidan Fitzpatrick and Brian Graham netting the goals during a first half in which the Staggies had Dylan Smith sent off.
The Staggies will now have to claw back the two-goal deficit in Sunday’s second leg at Victoria Park if they are to remain in the top flight.
Mackay says he set his players the half-time task of avoiding any further damage, and he is determined to make the most of the opportunity to start afresh with 11 men on the field this weekend.
Mackay said: “I thought we started fairly brightly in the first 10 or 15 minutes, with a couple of half chances bobbling around their box.
“We then lost a bad goal, although a great strike from their point of view. It was poor defending from our two lads who were out facing it.
“I thought we were doing OK at that point and then we lost young Dylan to the sending off.
“It obviously gave us a mountain to climb. He’s a great kid who has been terrific in his first season in professional football.
“In retrospect looking at it, he probably nicked the boy and it was a sending off.
“Thistle’s tails were obviously up. We lost the goal just on half-time, and the challenge to the boys was to come out of here at two.
“I was also not wanting us to sink into our own penalty box because that would have been carnage.
“To see us threaten them a few times was what I needed.
“Second half I was really proud of them and at only two-down, there is plenty to play for on Sunday.”
Mackay feels his players can take confidence from recent Premiership fixtures in which they have netted the three goals they will require in order to turn around the tie.
He added: “Have I got hope? There’s 90 minutes to go. We were two down 10 minutes into the second half last Wednesday night against St Johnstone and we scored three. We scored three the week before at Tannadice.
“It just helps if we keep 11 men on the pitch. We had our 10 or 15 minutes at the end and I told them to get their disappointment out of the road just now.
“By the time we get on that bus and up the road, I want them focused on recovering and nothing else but going out there with a positive mindset on Sunday.”
Partick boss Kris Doolan is thrilled to be in the driving seat in the tie, but knows the job is not yet done.
He said: “I’m delighted we have got the lead but it won’t approach to the next one. If we had been offered 2-0 before the game we would have bitten your hand off to have any kind of lead.
“It could have been more, and to me it probably should have been, but part of that is down to good defending from Ross County throwing their bodies in front of things.
“If the third one went in it was a different game, but I do think at 2-0 we look like the team on the front foot. We will take all that confidence into Dingwall on Sunday.”
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