Mackay says Staggies’ European contention among his best work

MALKY Mackay reckons guiding Ross County into a chase for European football is as good as anything he’s achieved as a manager.

The 50-year-old former Scottish FA performance director is keen to make history by driving the Staggies into the Europa Conference League for the first time ever.

Given they secured a topsix place thanks to a gutsy 1-0 pre-split showdown win at Aberdeen, they are eager to be one of two teams below Hearts to clinch the final European position in the Premiership.

Mackay, who took over from John Hughes last summer, has led a transformation from top to bottom and, after a 10-match winless start, made them one of the form teams in the country.

They began their final five fixtures on Sunday with a 2-0 home loss against leaders Celtic.

Now they’re preparing for Saturday’s trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts still in fifth place, one point behind Dundee United and ahead of Motherwell on goal difference.

To be in this position, given where they’ve come from as a club over the past 10 months, fills Mackay with pride as he sets out to deliver for chairman Roy MacGregor, chief executive Steven Ferguson, the club staff and the supporters.

Former Celtic defender Mackay, who took charge of Scotland for a friendly 1-0 loss against the Netherlands at Pittodrie in 2017, led Cardiff City into the English Premier League and a League Cup final.

When asked how taking the Staggies into the upper half compares with past achievements, he said: “Really up at the top.

“I have been lucky in my career in terms of where you end up and how it works.”

Malky Mackay