ABOVE BEYOND
Clarke hopes success will be catching
HARRY CLARKE insists Ross County’s focus is on catching teams above them when they face the only team below them in the Premiership tonight.
The on-loan Arsenal defender sees the trip to McDiarmid Park to take on St Johnstone as an opportunity, rather than a relegation pressure match.
The Staggies have lost only to Celtic and Rangers in their last eight outings, having turned a corner and picked up 12 points since late October’s 5-0 thrashing of Dundee.
Clarke knows just how difficult it could be against double cup winners St Johnstone.
The 20-year-old said: “I didn’t actually play against them last time around, back in July when the score ended 0-0, but they were hard to break down.
“They play mixed football, they can go long or play out sometimes. We know it is going to be a fight.
“We’ve just got to go there and hopefully get them moving about and take the win.
“I wouldn’t say there’s added pressure, it is more of an opportunity. They’re bottom and we’re a point ahead. It is a massive opportunity for us to pull away from them.
“Personally, I’m not really looking at them. I’m eyeing up the boys in mid-table and hopefully chasing them now, rather than them running away from us.”
County trail Dundee by just one point with a game in hand while they are three behind St Mirren.
Clarke said: “This game on Wednesday is a big one, obviously – our game in hand.
“If we can get the three points down there it puts us in a good place and with a lot of momentum, especially going to Hearts on Boxing Day.”
County lost late goals in their last two games against Celtic and Livingston to let valuable points slip away. Clarke said: “There are a number of things we can do. First, we had a few chances we could have put away and we can look to see the game out better – a bit of gamesmanship, as well, slowing the game down without getting booked.
“The main one for me is killing the game and getting that two goals ahead. It makes it much easier.
“St Johnstone may have struggled a bit to score but we can’t be complacent.
“Hopefully our strikers have their shooting boots on as they are a tight team as well and don’t concede a lot. I’d like to think a clean sheet gets us the win.”
County boss Malky Mackay has told his squad there is no reason why they cannot target four wins before the winter break.
He said: “I talked to the players three or four weeks ago about going into this busy period looking to win every game. I still want to do that with the games remaining.
“You look at those two last-ditch goals we lost in the last two games, and add in Aberdeen, we’re six points better off
“The flip side is we scored in the last minute against Dundee United.
“What I would say is we have a confidence at the moment going into any game, playing anybody, anywhere.
“There is no tentativeness home or away We’ve had a real good go at the Old Firm and if you can do that, you can do it to anybody. I want us to go into the next four games looking to win every one of them.”
Mackay says July’s 0-0 draw with Saints will have no bearing on tonight’s clash.
He said: “It was my first game in charge here in the league and the team looks completely different now to what it did then.
“Callum has a different look to part of his team as well. It is going to be a tough game.”