Hughes: We’ll have a fight to survive if we lose Stewart

JOHN HUGHES claims Ross County cannot afford to let Ross Stewart leave next month if the Premiership basement boys hope to beat the drop. The new Staggies boss sat down with the in-demand frontman — whose deal expires at the end of the season — to work out where his loyalties lie. The 24-year-old told Stuart Kettlewell’s replacement he’s happy to see out the campaign with County. But with Dundee United, Aberdeen and a host of English clubs sniffing around, Hughes admits he may well end up losing his asset in January if chairman Roy MacGregor cashes in rather than see the former St Mirren striker go for free in the summer. With County four points adrift, Hughes said: ‘I’ve already spoken to Ross and what will be will be. He told me he was just concentrating on the football. He has said, “If it’s to the end of the season, I’m happy to do that”. ‘Can we afford to lose a player like Ross given the position we’re in? No, but sometimes business takes over. ‘If there’s a bid, I’ll sit down with the chairman and weigh up the pros and cons. But one thing he has said is, “We don’t have to sell”.’ The ex-Inverness boss is back in the Highlands after three years in the managerial wilderness. His last spell in management with Raith Rovers was a disaster but there is no disguising the scale of his achievements with Caley Thistle, whom he led to Scottish Cup glory and qualification for Europe with a thirdplace league finish back in 2015. Saving County from relegation is likely to rank alongside those feats for the Dingwall faithful but ‘Yogi’ insists there’s not much to fix as he picks up the pieces left by Kettlewell. ‘It’s small things that could turn things around,’ he said, preparing for a baptism of fire at Celtic Park, scene of last month’s Betfred Cup shock. ‘Even just a performance which sets the benchmark. And, if we can do it once there, we can do it twice.’