Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Mackay admits Europe would surpass his early expectations
MALKY Mackay says Ross County’s push for European football exceeds the expectations he set out when he arrived at Dingwall last summer.
The Staggies are firmly in contention to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history, after clinching a top-six place.
County will be in the Europa Conference League qualifiers if they maintain their current fifth position, although they are still on the chase of fourth-placed Dundee United.
It has been a marked improvement by the Staggies, who finished 10th in the previous two Premiership seasons.
Although Mackay was always keen to steer the club higher up the league, he did not expect to be competing for Europe in the closing stages of his debut season in charge.
Mackay said: “We’ve got these three games and that possibility is there, but when we came in last summer it wasn’t one of the things that we wrote down.
“I can honestly say that on my first day here, that wasn’t something I was writing down on a piece of paper, but I’m delighted that we are.
“We talked to the players about not putting the tools down. We have to concentrate, we’ve got another three games to play before the end of the season, so we’ll just keep it steady.”
Mackay says County’s success has been built on a unified dynamic, which he says the Staggies supporters have become a major part of.
He added: “Sometimes good things can happen. How far you get with those good things may not be measurable, but I think when players, staff, directors and fans are all pushing in one direction at a football club, you can feel that.”