Michee Efete believes Ross County are benefitting from the clean slate laid down by Don Cowie.
Defender Efete was the final one of previous manager Derek Adams’ seven January additions, after arriving on a free transfer from Grimsby Town on deadline day.
Adams had been keen to put his own stamp on the Staggies squad after replacing Malky Mackay in November but a 5-0 defeat by Motherwell on February 6 led to his resignation from the post.
Cowie subsequently stepped in as interim boss, having previously assisted both Adams and Mackay.
After taking on the role Cowie spoke of his aim to instil togetherness within County’s squad, regardless of how long players had been at the club.
Efete believes Cowie has had the desired response, and he said: “When I first came in it was a bit down because obviously results weren’t coming.
“All of the new players came in under the old manager so we were all in a similar situation.
“He brought us in so you could say we were in favour compared to the players who were here before.
“When the new manager took over, it was a fresh start for everyone. Everyone had to perform in training to show what they could do, and I feel like that was a good thing.
“Some people were out of the team when they thought they should be playing, but the manager came in and gave everyone a clean slate.
“He knew a lot of people from his time being here but it wasn’t about that. It’s about what we do on the pitch.
“We all just had to go out there and try our hardest, and the performances and results are showing that.”
Staggies’ improvement clear to see
County remain in the relegation play-off spot, but have the opportunity to move level on points with ninth-placed Aberdeen with a victory in today’s crucial encounter at Pittodrie.
Efete came on as a substitute in Adams’ final two games, but has gone on to start each of Cowie’s seven matches in charge so far.
The Englishman feels the 2-1 victory at home to third-placed Hearts last time out shows the strides which have been made in recent weeks.
Efete added: “Since the first game I started against Rangers, we could see the signs there of being a good team.
“The manager has us going out there and working hard, following his instructions but also having the freedom to play well, and that’s what we’ve done.
“Those three points against Hearts were huge.
“We knew we needed to get three points to close the gap, but off the back of the performances we’ve had we knew that if we kept the same level of performance, we would get a result.
“We just had to perform at the right level and we would get what we deserved, because we didn’t get what we deserved in some of the other games. But we did against Hearts.”
Defender relishing new challenge in Scotland
Efete is enjoying the challenge of adapting to Scottish football, after opting to make the switch north earlier this year.
The 27-year-old, who was on the books of Crystal Palace and Norwich City as a youth player, added: “My previous experiences have equipped me.
“Playing in League Two in England is maybe more physical, because the ball is just going back and forth.
“When you’re against teams like Hearts, Celtic and Rangers, they want to keep the ball.
“It’s a bit different, but nothing I haven’t seen before.
“Going to different places makes you a better player.
“You get the chance to learn styles of football. You have to take different things from different places and add them to your game.”
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