Last time we played County at home it was nothing short of ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen a 5-4 game before and I doubt I'll see one again any time soon. Normality was resumed a few months ago when we drew 0-0 in Dingwall during the week. Thankfully the SPL fixture compilers have seen sense and made this a Saturday game so I won't be ranting about them. Instead, my anger has been saved for the TV companies, who have decided to choose this game. I'm not quire sure why and asking folk to make the trek from Dingwall for a lunchtime kick-off is just ridiculous. The predictably small away support is sure to be even smaller as a result.
This is a game we have to win. We have to hit the ground running now the break is over, we're at home and we're facing one of our relegation rivals. Nothing short of three points will do in this one. It would set us up nicely for the semi-final against Celtic next week and hopefully mean we can kick on and start racking up the points as we look to push away from the bottom of the table and make a late charge for the top six. We were in decent form before the games stopped and it would be good to keep that up tomorrow.
The semi-final should act as an incentive for our players. They should be told that a good performance tomorrow is necessary to secure their place in the team and we should see them fired up as a result. Even without that they should be champing at the bit after their time off. David van Zanten will be keen to impress after being dropped following his goal against Dundee United and is likely to take Paul Dummett's slot, with David Barron moving across to the other side of defence. The other option is Graham Carey starts, which would also help with our threat from set-pieces.
Someone who should perhaps be putting in some extra effort to guarantee he starts next week at Hampden is Lewis Guy. The striker had a terrific start to his Saints career but hasn't scored since the start of October, which is a rather poor run. He'll probably start regardless, but a goal would really help lift his confidence and ensure he keeps his place alongside Steven Thompson. Conor Newton may be handed his first chance to impress after arriving from Newcastle, while Kenny McLean is still missing and will have to make do with a place in the stands alongside Darren McGregor and Thomas Reilly.
It looked at first as if Ross County would have no problems avoiding the drop and instead would push for a place in the top six. However, when their long unbeaten run finally came to an end - something that stretched back to early last season and had survived a game against Celtic - they began to struggle. Before the break they went on a seven game winless run in the league, something they ended in style by beating Hibs on Boxing Day. They are now very much in the relegation battle along with ourselves and Derek Adams will be hoping Dundee continue to find life difficult in the top flight. You get the impression that if County can just see this season out with their SPL status intact they will kick on in the next few years and establish themselves alongside rivals Inverness Caley Thistle in the top tier.
If you're someone who gets worried about the prospect of a former player coming back to haunt you then you should perhaps stay away tomorrow as County have three former Buddies - although few folk can remember Paul Lawson's contribution while he was on loan from Celtic in 2007. Mark Corcoran was a bit more effective with some dazzling displays against Motherwell, but the pick of the three - as far as County fans are concerned - is Richard Brittain. He looks a completely different player to the one we shunted out wide during his two year stint at Love Street and after a goal filled year last season has rattled in another five goals this term. He will be a Saint again soon after recently agreeing to join St Johnstone in the summer.
Brittain isn't the only midfielder that has been scoring this season. Iain Vigurs has shown he is more than capable of cutting it at this level and has weighed in with six goals, with Rocco Quinn also a goal threat as he demonstrated with two goals in a minute in Paisley earlier this season. Mark Fotheringham is also capable of chipping in with a few and his experience in the middle of the park is invaluable considering how few of the Staggies squad had had a decent run in the SPL prior to this season.
It's probably just as well that County's midfielders are banging in the goals this season as their strikers have struggled. Most new teams find it difficult to get a striker scoring regularly just after they are promoted and that seems to be the problem in County's case. Adams did bring in former Hearts youngster Gary Glen over the summer but he's only got one goal, with the likes of Colin McMenamin and Sam Morrow not faring much better. Youngster Steven Ross has looked impressive and got the winner against Hibs a few months ago but it's perhaps asking a bit much of someone of his experience to fire the Staggies to safety. The arrival of Ivan Sproule should help the attacking options, although he has struggled since returning to Hibs in 2011.
It wouldn't be right to finish without a mention of our old pal Ross Tokely. We all know the back story so I won't go over again, but it's rather frustrating that he seems to enjoy being booed - and nearly always seems to come out on top against us! By moving to Victoria Park from Inverness in the summer he has been reunited with his old team mate Grant Munro, the pair having made County relatively tough to beat the back. Scott Boyd seems to have coped with the step up with ease, while another couple of former Caley Thistle players - Michael Fraser and Mark Brown - have been sharing goalkeeping duties and have done reasonably well. Adams has recently brought in a defender from Houston - the one in America rather than just up the road from Paisley - by recruiting Canadian international Andre Hainault from Houston Dynamo. It looks to be a decent signing, while they've also brought in Greek player Evangelos Ikonomou.
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