Ross County midfielder Tony Dingwall reckons he is reaping the rewards of extra hours on the training pitch after helping the Staggies record a 3-0 win against Motherwell on Saturday.
Dingwall’s second goal in as many games put the Highlanders two goals to the good after Craig Curran’s opener, with leading scorer Liam Boyce adding a third from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed a recent run in the team, having struggled to earn a place during the early part of the season.
Dingwall credits manager Jim McIntyre with his return to form and said: “I knew I was not playing well. It just wasn’t happening for me.
“The manager had a word with me and told me I had to try to get fitter.
“He told me to keep working hard and keep doing what I had been doing, and he’d give me my chance.
“I’ve been doing a bit of extra work with the sports scientist, Ross Hughes, after training. It’s starting to pay off. Hopefully, if I keep scoring I’ll keep my place in the team.”
County sit fifth in the Premiership, with their victory against the Steelmen moving them two points clear of nearest challengers Dundee.
The win ended a sequence of three league defeats, with the Staggies having failed to register a Premiership win since their 2-0 triumph against Aberdeen on October 16.
The Dons are County’s next opponents at Pittodrie on Saturday, with Dingwall relieved to be approaching the fixture on the back of a win.
He added: “It has played on the back of our minds. We were thinking we needed to try to turn it around and, thankfully, we did.
“It was a tight game but after the interval we always felt we could get another goal. Once we did, we killed off the game.
“I mean no disrespect to Motherwell but it was the type of game we had to win if we are to finish in the top six this season.
“We have another hard game against Aberdeen next, so this was a game we had to get the three points from.”