Ross County forward Alex Schalk is confident his best is yet to come after signing a new one-year contract with the Staggies.
Dutchman Schalk ended several weeks of uncertainty last week by committing his future to the club until summer 2017.
The 23-year-old had to be patient in waiting for his opportunity after joining County on a free transfer in October following his departure from Go Ahead Eagles in his homeland.
After scoring eight goals since the turn of the year Schalk said: “Everyone wants to be part of the team throughout the season, and be important for the team. That’s my goal for next season.
“I want to be as important as I have been in the last couple of weeks. I want to retain that form and go on with that next season.
“I could have scored a couple more goals, as I’ve missed a couple of great chances.
“I can’t always score every chance though. I aim for double figures as a forward, and that’s what I’m going for next season.
“I’ve got really great confidence and I’m ready to start next season.
“In the short-term though, we just want to finish as high as possible. When we reached the top-six we set some new goals, and that was fourth place. That’s the main thing we’re focused on.”
Schalk said manager Jim McIntyre and assistant Billy Dodds – both former attackers – were significant factor in his decision to stay with the club, and he added: “I had talks with the manager and Billy about what was the best thing for my career right now.
“We had really good talks and it’s a great thing that I’ve renewed the contract.
“We’ve been negotiating in the last couple of weeks. I wanted to get it over with and get it signed, so I can go on holiday and just relax knowing where my future is.
“I think it’s a great thing for me to stay here, and take the opportunity to give my career another lift. It’s turned out to be really good. With the confidence of the manager and Billy I’ve got myself back in the game, and got myself a lift in my career.”
County fell to a 1-0 defeat against St Johnstone on Saturday, leaving them five points adrift of fourth-placed Saints, and Schalk conceded the Staggies were below-par, adding: “It was very disappointing. It was nowhere near what we’ve shown in the last couple of weeks.
“St Johnstone deserved it, they were the better team. We messed up.”
