Clean slate awaits for Ross County after securing Premiership place for 2023/24 season, according to former Southampton man Josh Sims
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Josh Sims insists Ross County will have a clean slate going into next season after securing Premiership football through the play-offs.
The Staggies did it the hard way against Partick Thistle, going 3-0 behind on aggregate before staging a remarkable late comeback to force the game into extra time and penalties.
Many will have thought it was over as a contest before County pulled themselves back from the brink, but Sims – finally able to look ahead to the 2023/24 campaign – says it will be a fresh start by the time the Premiership starts up again.
"We will look back on it and think we shouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place, but when the chips were down everyone got together and rallied," he said.
“The crazy thing is, we have done it the hard way.
“Looking at it now, it’s a clean slate for next season. We are staying in the division, and we can regroup in the summer.
“We will have a nice little break now, and just be ready to go next season.
“Hopefully we will not be in that situation again, because I don’t think many people can take that – especially not me."
The tension and drama during the match was so heightened that the relief when County won the penalty shoot-out was palpable.
That was true of supporters and the players themselves, but in hindsight the tide turned when a quickfire double brought the Staggies back to within one goal of their opponents on aggregate.
On the pitch, Sims felt he could sense the doubts beginning to creep into Partick's players' minds – and that was all the encouragement County needed to complete the turnaround.
“We should never, ever have been in that situation," Sims stressed.
"It was 3-0 with 20 minutes left. When you are in the game you don’t feel that, you don’t see the time.
“It must have been unbelievable to watch. It just shows the spirit of everyone here, not just the boys and the staff, but the fans as well. Without them it would have been so difficult to claw that back.
“We seem to have been in that situation a couple of times and we have always managed to claw it back. It’s hard to give an exact reason why, it’s just a fight within everyone.
“The real turning point was when the second goal went in really quick after the first. You felt them just thinking ‘oh no’ – we almost had an extra man on the pitch at that point.
“I have been in that situation the other way around when you are 2-0 up, and it’s a horrible scoreline.
“I know they scored the first goal and they probably thought ‘that’s it – that’s the game done’. Maybe that has helped us a little bit because we got the two really quick.
“You could sense their nerves, and it’s just human nature. They were probably half thinking they had won the game, but when you’ve hit two goals quick, they are not ready for that.
“They have never been in that situation. For them, I would imagine it’s the first time this season they were thinking they were on the backfoot.
“The football they play, in most games I would imagine they would have had a lot of possession. Against us it was the complete opposite.
“We said all along that if we could get one, we would get two and three because that’s what we have done all season, and that’s exactly what happened."
On a personal note for Sims, it was a milestone moment to score the winning penalty after the battle he has had to return to playing regular football.
The 26-year-old spent around 18 months out of the game through a variety of injuries and health issues, but moments like Sunday is why he fought so hard to return.
Even then, Sims was not particularly nervous on approaching the spot, despite the stakes involved.
“I didn’t feel nervous, which was weird," he added.
“I was just thinking it was for the club and the fans. I’m just delighted I was the one who scored the winning one, but it was so much more than that.
“The boys that played the 90 minutes and extra time, everyone was just fighting right until the end. I’m just delighted for everyone.
“I got back to my phone and had everyone messaging me saying I had deserved that, after everything I have been through.
“For me personally, taking the winning penalty was amazing, but it was so much more than that.
“I have not played as much as I would have liked, so I’ve got to give credit to the boys because they put us in that position. They clawed it back.
“For me to take the winning penalty was a little moment in the season that I will take away going into the summer, but I think the credit has to go to the boys that have played the majority of the games."
