Ross County are looking up the Premiership table after Dundee win, but cannot count themselves clear of relegation battle already according to goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw
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Ross Laidlaw says it is still too early to say Ross County have moved clear of a relegation battle this season – but that they are definitely looking up rather than down.
A vital victory over Dundee at Dens Park on Saturday moved the Staggies seven points clear of St Johnstone in the relegation play-off zone, and eight clear of James McPake's men at the bottom of the table.
By contrast the top half is just four points away from County, with Motherwell in fourth also seven points away.
Into the final stretch before the league splits after 33 matches, there is still time for either gap to be bridged, but Laidlaw is definitely hoping that results in County moving higher up the Premiership.
"It's still too early in the season to (say relegation is behind us)," he said.
"We need to look up the way and not behind, but it's difficult because they're trying like anything to catch us.
"We're trying to catch the teams above us too, and they seem to put points on the board when we get results.
"Results didn't go for us in terms of the teams above us, but the two teams below us didn't get wins either so that's a positive.
"We knew before the game that it was a so-called six pointer, so we had to get a win or a draw in the worst case scenario.
"We're delighted to get the three points, and we can start looking up the way."
100 per cent record against Dundee
The Staggies' win on Saturday made it three wins out of three against Dundee this season.
They were made to work hard for their rewards though. Dundee started as the better of the two sides and took the lead through January recruit Zak Rudden before Joe Hungbo equalised in first half stoppage time.
County could have been forgiven for worrying that it might not be their day in the second half when Regan Charles-Cook's penalty was saved by Adam Legzdins, but with the form the Granada international is in right now you can never keep the Premiership's top scorer out of the action for too long.
He popped up around 10 minutes before the end with a winning goal to send County back up the A9 with plenty to celebrate.
"We're delighted," Laidlaw insisted.
"We've managed to beat Dundee three times this season, but we knew it would be a tough ask.
"They started well in the first half, but even after Cookie missed the penalty he showed great character to score the winner.
"He's in great form, so we're delighted we've managed to come here against a tough Dundee team and get three points on the road.
"To be fair, we actually played really well in the second half. Even after the penalty we showed character to keep playing the way we were playing, believe in what we were doing and get the ball down and play.
"In the first half we kicked it a bit too long, which probably suited them, so we had to stick to what we were doing, and just hope that a chance would come – thankfully it did, and Cookie stuck it in the back of the net."
