Qualifying from League Cup group last season has set the bar for Ross County ahead of opening match at Stranraer, says manager Malky Mackay
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Malky Mackay believes the minimum expectation for all Premiership clubs will be to top their League Cup groups – and Ross County are no different.
The Staggies kick off their competitive season away at Stranraer this weekend, looking to qualify for the knockout rounds for the second year in-a-row.
Last season, County went unbeaten through their group, only dropping points at Buckie Thistle when they still won on a penalty shoot-out.
Even though it was only a single point off a maximum return though, it was still enough to cost Malky Mackay's men a seeded spot for the second round, where their run would end as they were drawn against Celtic.
Ahead of the 2023/24 kick off then, County are favourites on paper to finish at the summit of Group D, and Mackay is conscious that anything else will be seen as a failure.
As such, he will be putting out strong teams regardless of the level of opposition.
"It should be the expectation for the Premiership club," Mackay, entering his third season at County, said.
"If I go way back to my first few weeks at the club, we talked about it then but we were unfortunate with the whole Covid situation.
"Last year my thought was definitely to make sure we got through to the next stages.
"Unfortunately we only won one of the games on penalties, which didn't give us enough points to be a seed which meant we got drawn against the champions.
"If we did that properly and got through as one of the seeds, with a little bit of luck we could have been at Hampden for a semi final.
"You can only deal with what's in front of you, so that's what we'll be doing on Saturday.
"For the next few weeks we'll be going in to win every game, because I want us to top the group.
"That's not in an arrogant way, but I'll be putting my best team out to make sure we win these games."
On the road again
The Staggies face a 10-hour round trip to get to Stranraer and back this weekend, giving plenty of time for their seven summer recruits to further embed themselves into the squad.
From Mackay's perspective though, the vast majority of the work to prepare his players for the match will already have been done.
Rather than trying to hammer home the same points over and over again, it could be a rare chance for the County manager to relax – although he admits matchdays are very rarely enjoyable in general.
"I will sometimes be on the bus, sometimes I will be in the car," he explained.
"If I am in the car, there are usually about 20 phone calls I need to make. If I'm on the bus. I won't be making calls.
"We will already have locked and loaded the game-plan by that point. We might have a meeting after dinner but that will be sorted as well. After that, it's about the logistics of making sure everyone is there and ready to go, where we're stopping, what time for dinner, what time breakfast will be.
"If I am on the bus, it's maybe Kindle time for me, get the air pods in and get away from people for a couple of hours – not speaking to anyone at all if I can help it.
"I don't think managers ever enjoy matchdays. After a normal game that you've won there is a great atmosphere in the changing room – everyone is high-fiving and hugging, as are the coaches.
"You say your piece and there is a nice buzz as people plan their nights and what they are going to do, be it dinner or drinks for example.
"For the manager, it is 10 minutes of relief rather than euphoria, then the physio comes in and tells you who is injured for Tuesday's game.
"That's when you start thinking about the team for Tuesday night. You're always immediately thinking about what is next in terms of your opponents or who you have available for that game. You don't switch off.
"That's why I like the drive in the car. I'm on my own for a number of hours down the A9. If I want to speak on the phone, fine. If I don't, it's me and a podcast."
