Premiership featured game

Ross County are bidding to extend their winning run to four games when they face Partick Thistle in a rearranged game in Dingwall on Saturday.

The Staggies recently defeated Alan Archibald’s men at Firhill and have also beaten Dundee and Motherwell to move out of the bottom two.

Manager Jim McIntyre said: “We have done very well recently and everyone is on a high at the moment. However, spirits were never that low and that was important when you are on a disappointing run like we were.

“We worked hard at ensuring no-one got too down and have seen the benefit of that after the 4-0 defeat from Aberdeen. It would have been easy to crumble at that time but the players wanted to bounce back and the success over Motherwell was pivotal.

“We then got the win over Thistle at Firhill. They have done well since being promoted so it was good to get the better of them.”

McIntyre has revamped the squad he inherited from Derek Adams and has high hopes the group of players he has now will ensure Premiership football in Dingwall again next season.

The former Dunfermline and Queen of the South boss said: “The new boys have done well and have settled into the way I want them to play. You can bring boys in who have been playing, and that helps, but others may not have been playing but you still need to put them straight into action.

“We did it with Paul Quinn when he came in last September and then did with Jamie Reckord. It can take a bit of time for them to get up to speed.”

One player who has made an impact since signing in January is striker Raffaele de Vita, with goals against Motherwell and the Jags.

McIntyre said: “Raffaele has hit the ground running and his goals have been a real bonus. I don’t remember too much about him playing at Livingston but when I did my research on him I spoke to my former Queen of the South player Iain Russell who played with him there. Iain was very positive about him so that helped convince me to bring him in.

“After Livingston he had been at Swindon and he got a lot of attention playing for them when Paolo di Canio was in charge. He moved on from there to Bradford but a thigh injury hampered him there and he went to Cheltenham on a short-term deal last September.

“It was my former captain at Reading, Phil Parkinson, who said I should go for him. I have remained friendly with Phil and he said he was keen to sign him again for Bradford but it never happened. He had liked what he had seen and told me that the Cheltenham move had just not worked for him and that he would do a job for us. It is a case of so far and so good for ourselves and Raffa.”

Thistle are County’s opponents again this week, with McIntyre saying: “It is funny how the fixtures work out but this is the staging of a game that was postponed. In the last game against them we got the first goal and that is so crucial. That gave us confidence and we went on to play well.

“Getting back-to-back wins is great for confidence. While the spirit was always good, you can see confidence rising but we cannot get complacent. It is a case of just focusing on one game at a time and approaching each one with a determination to win it.

“Spirit is a huge part of a successful team. I do not believe in players training and then just going home. They need to spend time with each other and have lunch with each other between training sessions.

“It will not be easy against Thistle as the last time they were in the Highlands they defeated Inverness 4-0 and that does not happen very often. They had a wee sticky patch and look to be over it so only the best from us will do again.”

Craig Stewart