The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
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Ross County midfielderMichael Gardyne believes his former Dundee United team- mate Ryan Dow is ready to shine for the Staggies after two years in the injury doldrums.
Attacker Dow, 25, is finally free of the complex lower stomach and groin problem that plagued his final season with the Arabs.
County manager Jim McIntyre took the gamble to sign Dowin September and Gardyne is convinced it will prove to be a masterstroke.
The Dingwall men need a lift after six matches without a win and a dearth of goals.
They also have former Rangers, Cardiff City and Scotland midfielder Chris Burke pressing for a place.
Gardyne has played every gamethis season, embracing his responsibility as County’s main creator. But the 30-year-old welcomes the additional competition for places.
Gardyne said: “Ryan Dow is a really good player. He’s close now in terms of fitness after playing a couple of 90 minutes for the under-20s.
“He has looked very sharp since he’s been here and the supporters should be excited.
“We also have Chris Burke now and it’s brilliant to have players like that at the club.
“I am one of the creators in the team and that’s what I want to do, what I want to be known as.
“But it is great to have these players in. Look at the experience of Chris Burke – what a career he has had.
“Ryan has had a bit of bad luck with injuries but he’s come backandis playing really well. It adds competition, which is great and lifts training even higher.
“That’s what we want with the position the club is in.
“We’re trying to get further than we have before and to bring in players of that calibre is brilliant.”
County journey to Firhill to face Partick Thistle today seeking a first win since August 20, but Gardyne is not reading too much into the statistics.
The poor run masked positive displays in the draws away to Rangers and Hearts, with the last two defeats – by St Johnstone and Aberdeen – the most disappointing for the County player.
Gardyne added: “Those results haven’t been what we wanted but training has been really good. We did the video analysis at the start of the week and then training on Tuesday andWednesday was really high tempo.
“We know what we’ve got to do and it’s a big game. We got the two good results away to Hearts and Rangers and then we didn’t capitalise on them in thehomegameafter that, which was disappointing.
“We know it’s an important spell. We have four games coming up in the space of a couple of weeks and it’s a chance to get points on the board.” St Johnstone defender Richard Foster feels Saints can take a big step in their quest for another top-six place by beating Dundee in Perth tomorrow.
A gap has already opened up between the top five teams and the rest of the Premiership, with Saints in the upper echelons.
With none of the other top-six teams on league duty this weekend, the Perthmen have the chance to leapfrog Rangers ahead of their trip to Ibrox on Wednesday, as well as pull farther away from the bottom teams.
Foster said: “Over the last four or five seasons St Johnstone have always been in the top half of the league, so we look to do it again.
“There is already a fivepoint gap there and if we
“Sharper since he’s been here and the supporters should be excited” “Focus on getting as high up the league as possible”
can increase that this week then it kind of puts to bed getting into the top six and we can focus on getting as high up the league as possible.”
Darren O’Dea, meanwhile, is not concerned by Dundee’s position at the foot of the Premiership – because he believes they are better than other teams in the league.
Paul Hartley’s Dark Blues slipped to the bottom of the table lastweekendafter hitting the frame of the goal four times in a 2-0 defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle, which followed a 1-0 home defeat by Celtic.
Arun of four consecutive losses might have alarm bells ringing in some squads but defender O’Dea is convinced they will pull clear.
The former Celtic player said: “We know if we’re doing the right things we won’t be bottom. The ability we have in our squad, the manager we have got, the coaching staff, is better than other teams.”