Malky Mackay is confident Ross County’s squad has the mental fortitude to avoid allowing three defeats in a week to eat into confidence.
The Dingwall team were enjoying a promising start to the new campaign prior to back-to-back league and cup defeats to Aberdeen and Saturday’s eventual capitulation to Hearts.
Mackay knows sequences like the current one can be part and parcel of life at one of the smaller Premiership clubs, but will be looking to break the run away to Dundee next weekend.
After seeing Alan Forrest claim victory for the Edinburgh club, Mackay stressed: “I think over the piece a draw would have probably been a fair result.
“We were up against a good team with a big squad of players, and I thought we managed the game well.
“We knew the threats they had, especially Lawrence Shankland who is a clever player, and we managed that really well.
“I thought that as the game went on we would kick on.
“It’s the top end of the park where I thought we should have been better.
“The quality that’s usually there wasn’t today, so that’s probably what I’m most disappointed about.”
Mackay uses an evidence-based approach to nurture confidence, with honesty about his team’s failings but plenty of spotlight in video re-runs of what they have done well.
He added: “We’ve had a tough week, and we’ve had three defeats.
“The first thing you do is recognise that and see that for what it is, and not brush it under the carpet, but at the same time you have to take it in perspective.
“We weren’t good at Pittodrie, but I thought we were excellent on Wednesday night and I think a balanced view is that we were worthy of a point against Hearts.
“At the same time, we’ll come back in next week and get back on to the training field to get back into things again.
“I’ve been here before in my career, and you recognise that there are tough periods.
“There is no magic wand to turn that around, you just have to go out and do the basics correctly, and that slips you back into a vein of form again.”
Attacking changes at the interval
Mackay had shown his unhappiness at what he was watching in the attacking third of the field by replacing both strikers at half-time.
Alex Samuel and Jordan White were taken off for Eamonn Brophy and top scorer Simon Murray and Mackay added: “We played on Wednesday night and they were Tuesday, so I just wanted fresh legs.
“In the second half, I thought going forward the ball should have been sticking a bit more with the front players, but when we started to do that, we just needed a little bit more quality.
“Today it was stuff letting us down that hasn’t usually been letting us down.
“I was really happy with the wing backs, our defensive midfielder, three at the back and goalkeeper.
“We were really solid, and generally we have been good – like we have in the final third, but not today.”
Hearts are now 13 games unbeaten against County, a run stretching back to March 2017.
Still toiling with an eight-strong injury list, they made two changes with latest casualty Cammy Devlin dropping out and Forrest stepping down to the bench.
Forrest’s moment would come, but he sat out 56 minutes of play with Aidan Denholm and Odel Offiah favoured.
County made four changes from the side knocked out of the League Cup quarter-finals by Aberdeen on Wednesday night.
Ben Purrington returned for his first league start of the season after a toe injury, while Kyle Turner, Samuel and White were also restored.
Top scorer Murray had to settle for a place on the bench, along with Victor Loturi and George Harmon, while Josh Sims dropped out completely after taking a nasty gash to the leg.
What unfolded in the first half was astonishingly poor.
Hearts held a dominance in possession, but seemed devoid of any great ideas as to what to do with it.
County, without the ball, seemed content to contain.
🎙️ Malky Mackay gives his thoughts following today’s 1-0 defeat against Hearts. pic.twitter.com/NifBSkDMMK
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) September 30, 2023
Far too frequently, passes spun astray or crosses were misjudged, particularly in the final third.
Lawrence Shankland mustered a couple of openings, the best seeing him turn sharply just outside the penalty area and fire a left foot strike a whisker beyond the angle of post and bar.
Malky Mackay’s unhappiness with his attacking threat was evident as he replaced his front two at the break with Murray and Eamonn Brophy.
Towards the hour, Hearts enjoyed a spell of hefty pressure.
A Stephen Kingsley cross from the left found substitute Alan Forrest sliding in to finish, but his connection spun off a home defender for a corner.
Forrest then whipped a cross come shot just wide from a tight angle on the right.
County’s James Brown went down in the box under Kye Rowles’ attentions, but referee David Dickinson waved the claim away.
The Irishman also hammered an attempt from distance well wide, before Hearts broke the deadlock.
It was a good move and finish, but the County defence seemed to go to sleep at the vital moment
A terrific ball in from the left from Lowry, just 12 minutes on the park, picked out Forrest for a well-placed header into the right-hand corner of Laidlaw’s net.
County reacted with Purrington going close with a strike just over the bar from the left side of the box.
Late on, Liam Boyce came on for his 100th Hearts appearance and unleashed a tremendous, defence-splitting pass to send Lowry through.
Laidlaw turned the Rangers loanee’s attempt around the post.
County squandered a couple of chances as well, with Brophy heading over from a great position.
ROSS COUNTY (3-4-1-2): Laidlaw 6; Nightingale 7, Baldwin 6, Leak 6; Brown 6 (Henderson 85, 3), Turner 6 (Loturi 65, 5), Randall 7, Purrington 6; Dhanda 6 (Allardice 65, 5); Samuel 5 (Brophy 46, 5), White 5 (Murray 46, 5). Subs: Munro, Harmon, High, Smith.
HEARTS (4-2-3-1): Clark 6; Sibbick 6, Kent 7, Rowles 6, Kingsley 7; Offiah 5 (Forrest 56, 7), Nieuwenbo 6; Vargas 7 (Boyce 84, 3), Grant 5 (Halliday 72, 4), Denholm 6 (Lowry 56, 7); Shankland 6. Subs: McGovern, Haring, Baring, Baningime, Tait, Kirk.
Referee: David Dickinson 6
Man of the match: Frankie Kent (Hearts).
