Ross County captain Paul Quinn is determined to hit the ground running in the new Scottish Premiership season as his side tries to make amends for the club’s woeful League Cup demise.
The cup holders’ defence ended at the group stage following a shocking 3-2 loss at Alloa last week and while the Staggies ended the round robin section with an emphatic 7-0 win against Highland League champions Cove Rangers on Saturday Quinn knows his side has work to do.
It is clear the cup exit has been gnawing at Quinn and he said: “There is a cloud hanging over us and we want to get rid of it. The only way we can do that is by getting people to talk about our league form.
“We want to be able to say that although we lost out in the League Cup, we went on and did so well in the league.
“We need to try to turn a negative situation into a positive. We’ve done it before in different ways, and we’ve got to try to do it again.”
Central defender Quinn is in his second spell at Victoria Park after rejoining from Aberdeen in January and he reckons the ethos around the club has progressed since he first arrived in October 2014 following his departure from Doncaster Rovers.
The 31-year-old has no intention of resting on last season’s memories and wants to better the record league finish of fifth set under previous manager Derek Adams in 2013.
Quinn said: “The difference is night and day from nearly two years ago to where we’re at now – everything has gone up a notch.
“From the first day I walked in when we were trying to stay in the division. We now want to be in the top-six and are demanding more of ourselves to get there.
“The word demand is used now. It is a need and a must, whereas when I first came it was a case of trying to stay safe.
“The club is moving on and the manager, chairman and the people behind the scenes are all pressing on with their work.
“As players we need to either go with them or we might not fit in – that’s the key message for Ross County.
“We’re not a club that wishes to just be happy. The chairman and manager are constantly demanding more progress. That starts this season, hopefully with the best league campaign ever, and we’ve only got one cup to aim for, so we will give it our utmost in that.”
