Eli King believes he has momentum on his side as he approaches his loan spell with Ross County.
Wales under-21 international King has joined the Staggies on a temporary deal from Cardiff City until the end of the season.
Having been with the Bluebirds since the age of eight, King has racked up seven first team appearances for the English Championship side.
Last season, midfielder King enjoyed his first sustained run of senior football when he played 18 matches during a loan stint at Crewe.
Staggies boss Derek Adams took him to Morecambe at the beginning of this season, with King going on to make 24 appearances for the English League Two side, netting twice.
Although he is now testing himself in a new league by moving to the Scottish Premiership, King is confident his recent first team experience will serve him well.
The 21-year-old said: “The goal has been to play as many games as I can.
“You get to the stage coming through the ranks at a club like Cardiff where you’re on the fringes of that first team, and it might feel easier to stay and linger around.
“I have chosen to get out and play as many games as possible.
“In my first loan at Crewe, I learned about being away from home for the first time.
“I loved my time at Morecambe. During that time I played a lot of games, and it was a new challenge in a new area far away from home.
“I had to settle into a new team and implement my own style of play, and be confident enough to do that. I’ve learned a lot from that.
“Playing games helps you get into a rhythm, it helps your confidence and your fitness as well.
“Hopefully I can carry that momentum straight into Ross County.”
King looking to kick on again under Adams
Although King made his debut in County’s 3-0 defeat to Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup last weekend, the midfielder showed up as one of his side’s stronger performers on the day.
He could make his first league appearance for the Dingwall side when they make the trip to leaders Celtic today.
King says the prospect of following former boss Adams in making the move to the Staggies was one which appealed to him.
He added: “It was a big factor.
“I really enjoyed working with him at Morecambe, and it felt like he got the best out of me – along with the rest of the staff around the club.
“I’ve only been here just over a week, so we’ve had limited training sessions and only one game.
“You can still tell the messages are the same though, and hopefully that can start to grow and develop over the next few weeks.
“Obviously we’ve got to show a reaction after Saturday.
“We could have done certain things a lot better, and we have to play together more.
“That will be more important than ever away at Celtic. We’ll have to be compact, and be strong together as a team.
“That’s the main thing we’ve got to take into the game.”
Cowie an inspirational figure for young midfielder
Along with Adams, King is also familiar with Staggies assistant Don Cowie from his memories of watching Cardiff as an academy player.
Midfielder Cowie, who is from Strathpeffer, made 99 appearances for the Bluebirds between 2011 and 2014, during which time he helped them gain promotion to the English Premier League.
King is looking forward to working with the former Scotland international, adding: “Obviously we went to all the games as academy players, so I remember watching him play around the time Cardiff got promoted to the Premier League.
“He’s got such vast experience having played for Cardiff and other big clubs in his career.
“Having someone like that in the dressing room and on the training pitch is only going to help, and you’ve got to take advantage of that and learn as much as possible.”
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