Regan Charles-Cook confident there is more to come from Ross County before end of the season after being named Scottish Premiership's player of the month for January
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Regan Charles-Cook has been named the Scottish Premiership's player of the month for January.
The Ross County winger has been in tremendous form, scoring four goals in the three matches he played last month as part of a wider run of six goals in eight games.
Charles-Cook's contributions helped the Staggies to four points after an impressive win against Motherwell despite playing most of the second half with 10 men, as well as their dramatic draw at home against Rangers.
In that time he also became the top scorer in the league, but the 24-year-old insists his award is reflective of the effort of the entire team.
"It's nice to get an individual award, but I wouldn't have got it if it wasn't for the team," he stressed.
"We're just so together. They're so encouraging, we all get around each other.
"The other day is the perfect example – I missed a penalty, but afterwards every single one of them got around me and told me to keep my head up because I could be the match winner.
"They have so much belief in me, the staff and the players, and I went and scored the winner.
"It just shows how much courage and belief they have in me."
Things are looking up in Dingwall
County's form in general has been impressive over the last few months – making their poor start feel like a distant memory.
Indeed, having been cut adrift at the bottom of the table going into their first trip to Dens Park, after last Saturday's return visit the Staggies are eight points clear of the bottom – actually closer in points to fourth-placed Motherwell.
The challenge for Charles-Cook and his teammates now, then, will be to sustain that until the end of the campaign, with the split beginning to come into view on the horizon.
"We don't want to look behind us any more, we want to look forward," Charles-Cook explained.
"We see how close the middle section is, I think we're four points away from the top six, but we've just got to focus on us.
"We can't worry about anyone else, the next game is the most important game. That's the way we see it.
"I think you can see how tough this season is. There's not really a big gap between anyone, except for maybe the top two or three.
"This is probably the toughest league it's been for a while with the teams and how everyone has set up.
"You can see that, everyone is kind of beating everybody outside the top two, everyone else is a free for all. I feel like it's a lot tougher than last year."
Up for the challenge
One thing is for sure at Ross County right now, they will not fear any team they go up against.
Their point against Rangers last month was the latest evidence that they can go toe-to-toe with any team in the division, and finishing inside the top six is now a very realistic possibility the way the table has shaped up.
Rather than baulking under the pressure of kicking on, though, Charles-Cook is confident that there is still more to come from County that will help them capitalise when other teams may be feeling nervous.
"It's the final end of the season, this is where it gets gritty," he added.
"Every point counts. Every team is around each other, and we're looking forward to it.
"We look forward to the challenge, the gaffer has set us targets and we want to reach them.
"Every day we go out on the training pitch and try to make each other better, and take that on to matches.
"There's a lot more to come from Ross County – you haven't seen the best of us yet. We've still got a good 20 or 30 per cent to go, and we can't wait to show it."
