Give it time: Staggies boss stays patient
Malky Mackay expects his young guns to start firing once his latest Ross County rebuild settles down.
For a team that took 11 games to get off the winning mark in last season’s Premiership, there’s unlikely to be any panic in Dingwall.
Mackay is content to be patient while new boys like left winger Kazeem Olaigbe, the Belgian under-21 international on loan from Southampton, find their feet.
He gave a first start to William Akio on the opposite flank and four of his adventurous second-half subs were also summer signings.
Mackay, whose men remain in 10th place after picking up a point, is looking forward to seeing his side improve from the experience and rough early ride of handling Scottish football’s bumps in the road.
Mackay said: “It’s a point away from home against an experienced team versus some of the guys I’ve got who are in their debut season in the Premiership.
“They’re very honest and some of them are two minutes into Scottish football.
“People underestimate Scottish football at their peril. It’s a tough league where no quarter is given or asked and teams are well organised, well drilled and fit.
“It’s a physical game and everyone has to get up to that speed, which they are getting there.
“We had Akio and Kazeem hit the bar and Owura Edwards had a good go on the left side after coming on.
“These are guys just starting in the division but they are threats. I was disappointed with the quality in the final third because that’s what was going to win the game – the final cross, the final pass, the final strike.
“We got into great positions and, at the end, I threw on five subs to try to win the game. The pleasing thing was they all impacted the game.”
Mackay was also pleased to see his men keep the ball out of the net for the second time in Premiership action this term.
“It was a hard-fought point and a good clean sheet,” noted Mackay.
“The spine of my team were excellent – Ross Callachan, Jordan White, the centre backs and goalkeeper.”