I had to put out Olympic flame to keep fire burning for Staggies
Canada sigh for Paton as he misses Tokyo trip
HARRY PATON revealed he had to sacrifice his Olympic dream to make sure Ross County’s season doesn’t end in a nightmare relegation.
The midfielder was called up for Canada Under-23s’ qualifiers for Tokyo in the summer but declined to focus on the Staggies.
It came after County chief John Hughes told him he needed him in Dingwall to help the fight to beat the drop.
Paton said: “I was a bit disappointed as I had been called up to the Olympic squad but I had to stay back for the club.
“My goal’s to get that call-up and I am pushing for it. I’ve been speaking to the Under-23s manager who is keen on getting me in.
“The fact I’m in his thoughts is really promising.”
Third-bottom County have four big games coming up in the battle for survival, starting at home to St Mirren tonight.
Paton said: “We are going to give it our all.
“We tend to concede straight away after we score a goal so we have been working on that. It’s about having the right mindset.
“The gaffer always says just to stay in the game and not to panic.
“I play a lot better when there is that pressure and it is a cup final every week.
“You need that desire as it is all on the line and we have boys who excel in those pressure moments.
“We have a strong team but we need to perform.”
Controversy has raged from County’s last clash with St Mirren.
The Paisley side won it with a controversial penalty. Hughes and his players were furious, claiming Collin Quaner hadn’t been fouled.
That together with another incident against Hibs has resulted in boss Hughes being cited by the SFA for criticising referees’ decisions.
Paton admits County are still hurting and are out for revenge tonight.
He added: “It was a controversial penalty and it was really frustrating.
“He went down very easy and the ref made the wrong decision. We’d definitely like to get those points back on Wednesday.
“But we won’t try to do any of that stuff. We’ll play the game and go for the win.”
Canadian
Paton has been pleased with his own form but knows he needs to contribute more in the final third.
The 22-year-old explained: “Whenever the gaffer calls on me I am going to give it 100 per cent. He knows what I bring to the team.
“I’d rather start every game and give it everything for 90 minutes but if the gaffer thinks I can come off the bench then I’ll give it my all.
“I’m happy to have gained a lot of experience this year but there is still a lot more to come and I need to improve in terms of assists and goals.”
County have slight doubts over full-back Carl Tremarco and midfielder Mohamed Maouche.
My goal is to get call-up. The fact I’m in manager’s thoughts is promising HARRY PATON LOOKS TO INTERNATIONAL FUTURE