At a time when Ross County are in desperate need of Premiership points, Ronan Hale is threatening to emerge as the talisman they require.
Following an alarming run of six straight defeats, the Staggies have dropped into the relegation play-off spot with only three games remaining.
They are two points adrift of 10th-placed Dundee, with Saturday’s trip to bottom-placed St Johnstone their next opportunity to return to the points trail.
That offers Don Cowie’s men the chance to stave off the threat of automatic relegation, however they will face a Saints side making one last survival push.
The Staggies have experienced something of a dry spell during their winless run, having netted only three goals in their last six games.
Northern Irishman Hale has come up with two of those, in County’s last three games since he returned to the starting line-up.
Hale is County’s leading goalscorer with 14 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions this term.
He has had spells out of the side, with Cowie having previously demanded a greater contribution to the Staggies’ general play.
Following a Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Livingston on January 18, in which Hale scored, Cowie said: “I have spoken time and time to Ronan – it’s not just about goals. It’s about all-round play.
“We want more from him, just like we do with any other individual. You can’t get caught up just on scoring goals.
“It’s about a team, and it’s about what you can do to play a role within it – whether it’s working hard, getting the team up the pitch or retaining the ball for us.”
Forward found himself out of Staggies side
Hale went on to net three goals in his subsequent two matches against Hibernian and Motherwell, before starting against Dundee and St Johnstone – the second of which saw him substituted at half-time.
He was dropped from the starting line-up for the following match against Kilmarnock on March 1, and not brought on to the field, before making appearances from the bench in the next three matches.
Hale’s ability to sniff out goals has never been in question for Cowie, who brought him to Victoria Park on a three-year deal from Cliftonville last summer for an undisclosed fee.
Of all players in the Scottish Premiership this season, Hale has recorded the second highest number of shots with a tally of 86 – just four behind Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland.
His 35 shots on target ranks him just one behind Rangers’ Cyriel Dessers, who has the highest number in the league.
Cowie says Hale’s willingness to work on other elements of his game was what led to his goalscoring recall against St Mirren last month.
Hale ‘looking back to his best’ at crucial time
Speaking earlier this week, the Staggies boss added: “You always believe that Ronan will score goals. If you give him the service, he’s got that clinical nature.
“He’s got no other thought in his head than to get a shot away and try and score a goal.
“What I’ve really enjoyed in the last few weeks is his all-round performance. He’s looked right back to his best.
“He has looked lively. He probably could have had a second goal on Saturday had it not been for a really good save from Craig Gordon.
“I’m delighted that he’s scoring – he’s in a really good frame of mind.
“You can see he just thrives on scoring goals and his confidence is looking really high.
“That can only be a good thing for us as a football club.”
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