Kirk Broadfoot reckons Ross County have Premiership top-six potential as he gets ready to put the brakes on striker Simon Murray this weekend.
Former Rangers, Kilmarnock and Inverness star Broadfoot was a big signing for the Cappielow men this summer when he moved on from Lowland League side Broomhill FC to sign a one-year deal with Dougie Imrie’s Championship side.
His one-year spell with Caley Thistle in 2021-22 almost saw him help Billy Dodds’ team gain promotion. They lost the play-off final to St Johnstone after a terrific late rally saw off rivals Partick Thistle and Arbroath.
The 38-year-old former Scotland international is now back in the second-tier and his team will be top-flight County’s second Viaplay Cup Group D opponents this weekend.
County, who stayed in Premiership at the end of last season by beating Partick Thistle in a remarkable comeback play-off win last month, have strengthened their playing pool.
Defenders Josh Reid and James Brown , midfielders Kyle Turner, Scott Allardice and Max Sheaf, winger Jay Henderson and striker Eamonn Brophy have all been signed.
Staggies game bigger derby victory
Broadfoot is expecting a busy afternoon for Morton at the Global Energy Stadium against opponents who he feels won’t face a second successive relegation sweat once the top-flight restarts.
He said: “There is no getting away from it – County are the favourites to win the group when you look at the platers they have brought in as well as the players already there.
“The owner (Roy MacGregor) backs his manager and you can see that.
“They have a good set-up at Dingwall. I was there a few times when I was helping the Inverness under-18s and it’s a brilliant set-up.
“It will be a good test for us. This is one where we can judge how we’re coming along. We had a good (pre-season) test against St Mirren (a 2-0 win), but this will be a competitive game, so there will be a wee bit more needle to it, even though the St Mirren are our rivals,.
“County have signed well this year and I think they will have a good season in the Premiership. I don’t see them being down near the bottom, as they were last season. They might well even be challenging to make it into the top six.”
Morton must watch out for Murray
Staggies striker Murray began his campaign in the best possible way, netting a treble in a 5-1 rout of League Two Stranraer on Saturday.
Broadfoot knows the forward – who has now scored four hat-tricks in the League Cup group stages for four different clubs during his career – will be a key threat this weekend.
He added: “Getting a hat-trick in the first (competitive) game of the season will always breed confidence into you.
“Simon has always been a difficult opponent.
“If they can keep him fit and give him a good run of games, he will be a big player for them.
Simon Murray has now scored 4️⃣ hat-tricks in the League Cup group stages for 4️⃣ different clubs
Read @splstats' #ViaplayCup in Numbers @ViaplaySportsUK | @RossCounty
— SPFL (@spfl) July 17, 2023
“Myself and the rest of the defence expect a difficult afternoon up in Dingwall and if we can keep Simon quiet, it’s up to the rest of the boys to do their jobs.”
Sides still finding their feet in the cup
Broadfoot scored in Morton’s 3-1 Viaplay Cup win at Kelty Hearts on Saturday and he says all clubs are still shaping up within their opening ties.
He said: “I don’t score many, so to get a goal in my competitive debut was nice, although for me it’s more about making sure we keep clean sheets.
“It’s difficult because teams are classing the cup games at pre-season. You’ve maybe only had a couple of (pre-season) games under your belt.
“This is only our fourth week back and you’re still trying to find your feet in terms of fitness. Saturday was my first 90 minutes. The manager had given me 70 minutes tops before that. It’s the same for everyone.
“You want to get through the groups, everyone to get good minutes on the park to make sure you’re ready for the league campaign, as well as avoiding injuries.
“The first few weeks have been great for me at Morton and the boys have been brilliant with me. I am really enjoying it and I have got my love back for football a bit.
“The boys I travel up from Ayrshire with are a good laugh, good lads. I knew (assistant manager) Andy Millen, and Dougie is cut from the same cloth in terms of the way he works and goes about his business.”
Survival name of the game for Ton
Last season, Morton missed out on a top-four position in the Championship on goal difference to Partick Thistle.
With Dundee United dropping down from the Premiership, and Dunfermline Athletic and Airdrie, replacing Cove Rangers and Hamilton, Broadfoot believes maintaining second-tier football at Cappielow has to be the priority.
He said: “When you consider the manager’s budget compared to other clubs in the Championship, if we stay in the league, it’s a good season.
“Our main objective is to stay in the league. If we finish eighth then anything else is a bonus. We won’t get ahead of ourselves.
“Right now, we’ve only got 14 bodies in the building, so we can’t compete with most teams in the league as it stands.
“Everyone at Morton would love to do well in terms of promotion, but realistically finishing eighth will be a good season for us.”