Jack Baldwin is ready to aid Ross County’s Premiership survival cause after making his return from injury.
Staggies skipper Baldwin made his comeback in last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Hibernian at Easter Road, having been sidelined for eight weeks.
Baldwin had been managing a niggling issue since the start of the campaign, however the injury came to a head in the 3-0 defeat to Aberdeen on January 2.
That necessitated a period on the sidelines, during which time Baldwin and a number of other absentees were called upon by interim boss Don Cowie to be around their team-mates ahead of games in an effort to support them.
Having completed all 90 minutes against Hibs, Baldwin is now determined to kick on when the Staggies once again face the Edinburgh side at Victoria Park on Wednesday.
Baldwin said: “It has been eight weeks or something now. It’s good to be back out there, I was on the bench against St Mirren and it was good to be back among the boys trying to help out where I could.
“I had a bit of a nervy start against Hibs but it’s good to get that match experience and sharpness.
“That is the biggest thing that you find you have lost, when you are coming back into a game.
“The fitness side is big but that match sharpness and instinct was probably lacking in the first five or 10 minutes for myself.
“It was good to work my way into the game and finish the 90 minutes, which I’m pleased with.”
Staggies focused on own form in run up to split
Last week’s defeat to Nick Montgomery’s side means the Staggies remain in the relegation play-off spot, four points adrift of Aberdeen.
The Dons are County’s nearest target, with Neil Warnock’s men without a win from their last 10 Premiership matches.
St Johnstone, in ninth, moved five points clear of County with a 1-1 draw against bottom-placed Livingston, who are now six points behind the Staggies.
With 10 matches remaining, Don Cowie’s side know they have a fight on their hands to escape the relegation zone.
The double header against Hibs kick-starts a difficult run of fixtures before the split, with matches against Hearts, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Rangers to follow.
Defender Baldwin believes there is plenty for his side to build upon in their return to home action, having taken four points from a possible six against Livi and St Mirren prior to their loss at Easter Road.
He added: “We had a great week as a team, with two positive results. We always knew it was going to be tough going to Hibs to get a result although we believed we could get something.
“The other results were probably as good as we could have hoped for.
“As cliched as it sounds, it’s about focusing on ourselves at this stage of the season.
“We’ve got a big run of fixtures coming up before the split.
“We’ll take each game on its own merit and pick up results where we can and see where it leaves us come the split.”
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