The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Staggies showed mettle to wipe away the scars of Tynecastle: Mackay
Malky Mackay has praised his Ross County players for taking the crushing defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle last month in their stride.
County went into the split fresh from a bruising 6-1 loss to the Jambos in Edinburgh, which left them four points adrift at the foot of the Premiership table.
The Staggies have responded superbly however, with back-to-back wins over Livingston and Dundee United moving them off the bottom of the table, two points clear of the Tannadice outfit.
Mackay knew all eyes would be on County’s resolve following such a heavy loss in the capital. However he says they have kept their nerve to give themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop.
He said: “It was an awful evening – it was the worst performance of the year by a million miles – but we’ve only been off it twice in 42 or so games this season.
“I’ll take that, Ross County only being off it twice. In every other game we have been involved in we have given teams a game and I think the other teams would agree, whether we have won or lost.
“It was not a time for me to react and go mad at them or go in the huff.
“It was time for us all to take a breath going into the last five games. Calmness in the last five games is what counts.
“Going into the Livingston game there was a lot of pressure on us and a lot of people looking to see how we would react but they reacted in a really positive way.”
Mackay is aiming to use his vast managerial experience to County’s advantage in the coming matches, and he has been encouraged by the
increasing confidence he is sensing among his squad.
He added: “I’ve been here before, unfortunately, and it’s about staying calm and having a calm training ground.
“I want my confidence to rub off on the players – I need to walk in and be in a confident mood and wanting to talk to everyone, and the training ground relaxes and the week becomes as normal.
“I’m enjoying the fact we are looking fit and strong.
“I think it’s a confidence thing as well. Maybe it’s the lack of experience in the group with some of the ones who have had to come out of it.
“They don’t just believe that we are as good as anyone else in the division even though they are told that and they are showing evidence of that.
“It takes examples as the game goes on to say: ‘Hold on a minute, we are as good as the team we are playing here’. We need to make sure that continues.”
County’s fate will be determined in a defining final week of three fixtures.
They make the trip to on-form Motherwell on Saturday, before hosting St Johnstone in their last home fixture next Wednesday.
The Staggies end their league campaign away to Kilmarnock the following Sunday, with the Ayrshire side just a point above them at present.
Mackay insists the job is far from done, adding: “We are not getting carried away, Dundee United on Saturday was just another result.
“We need to make sure we look after ourselves in these next three games.
“We go to Motherwell now and it’s really tight and it will be tough because they are in a great run of form, but we are looking forward to going down there.
“However, we are not thinking any further ahead than that.”