Carl Tremarco revealed he has drawn on inspiration from John Hughes in motivating his Ross County under-18s side.
Tremarco was in charge of the young Staggies for Friday’s Scottish Youth Cup tie against Kilmarnock, which was played at Victoria Park.
Although County put on a strong first half showing, they were eventually defeated 4-1 by a strong Killie outfit who sit top of the CAS Elite League – the level above where the Staggies play.
Tremarco, who won the Scottish Cup under Hughes at Caley Thistle and also played under him at Victoria Park, has taken valuable learnings from his own playing career in an effort to help the next generation of young talent.
He said: “The league table doesn’t lie. Killie had beaten Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen and they are top of the league.
“It’s all I had been hearing, and I was saying it myself.
“But I actually quoted John Hughes to the boys before the game, saying: ‘If you punch them in the nose, they’ll bleed’ just like the best players in the world.
“Yogi was the first manager that made me open my eyes in terms of how the game works and how the game is played, before taking my first steps in coaching.
“I said there would be 11 players on the pitch against them, but show heart, hunger and desire – a willingness to work hard and be aggressive when we needed to be – and there was no reason why we couldn’t compete.
“We had that in more than abundance on Friday evening and that was the pleasing thing. They didn’t shy away from the occasion.”
Young Staggies must kick on
Having experienced playing in front of more than 200 supporters at Dingwall on Friday, Englishman Tremarco is now intent on making sure the young Staggies progress in the coming weeks.
He added: “I’m hoping, now, they can actually kick on. It is all well and good doing it in front of a few hundred people in a setting like that.
“Being on the astro next door when there are 10 people watching, against the likes of Morton and Livingston – teams around us, at our level – is a different test.
“You can’t hit the ceiling at this level, you need to break through the ceiling.
“Hopefully playing on this pitch on Friday and experiencing the occasion, maybe the penny drops and they think ‘wow, I want a bit more of that’.
“Those occasions happen every week in the first team, but it can be even greater in the cups.
“I try to explain that to them. Myself and Gary Warren have been involved in a Scottish Cup final win and it is the best feeling in the world.
“But you can have that sort of feeling every week if you run onto the pitch as a professional player and that’s what they need to aspire to.
“They need to really want to do it and be willing to do the extra stuff, off the pitch.”
Crucial period lies ahead
Tremarco knows a crucial period awaits for a number of the Staggies’ young prospects, with County’s head of professional academy eager to help them to succeed.
The 38-year-old said: “Since I’ve been at the club, I’ve seen these lads develop from 13 or 14 years old.
“To see them perform like that makes me immensely proud.
“Some of the boys on the pitch, from where they were two or three years ago to where they are now, they’ve kicked on loads.
“There’s a few of them have a big eight or nine months left. It is up to them now to roll up their sleeves and kick on.”
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