Ferguson delighted with spot-on Staggies’ hunger for goals

Steven Ferguson is happy for Ross County to not have a regular penalty taker – as they have so many players desperate to score.

A small squabble took place at the end of the win over Morton when a penalty was awarded, with Brian Graham and Declan McManus both stating their case.

Graham won the day and duly dispatched his effort, becoming the third different scorer from the spot this season after Billy Mckay and Josh Mullin.

Ferguson said: “Our boys are professional enough. Sometimes I’ve seen those things snowball out of control. They had a wee go and the situation was sorted very quickly. The ball was despatched into the net.

“We have strikers desperate to score goals, wide players desperate to score goals, and what we also have is accomplished penalty takers. Sometimes you struggle to get one. If you’ve got two, you’re lucky. We have three or four.

“We had a wee laugh and a joke in the changing room after it.

“We’re OK with players who are feeling confident taking them. What we don’t say is you’re taking the penalty. Penalties are about a feel and how we’re doing at the time.

“Billy Mckay, Josh Mullin and Brian Graham, so far, have all scored their penalties this season and that’s a good thing for us. The goal at the end of it is the most important thing.”

The Staggies travel to bottomof-the-table Falkirk tonight, a game Ferguson knows is fraught with danger if County are not up to scratch.

He said: “These games, as everyone knows, can sometimes be the ones where you come unstuck.

“People will see it as top versus bottom of the league and a game against a team struggling, who have changed their manager.

“That is all true, so we need to take advantage of that, but if we do take our foot off the gas or try to do anything different we could be punished.”

Liam Fontaine, Callum Morris and Michael Gardyne remain out for County but Marcus Fraser is back in the fold again after injury.

Steven Ferguson