Defender says Ross County can't hide from drop threat
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CALLUM Morris believes a positive performance against “vulnerable” Celtic can set up Ross County perfectly for the final nine games that can save their season.
The bottom of the table Staggies have shown signs of revival under John Hughes, but remain mired in what the vice-captain described as a “cut-throat” relegation scrap amid inconsistent form.
The visit of an improving Parkhead side on Sunday traditionally offers slender chance of points for County, although the Dingwall side did defeat Neil Lennon’s team in the League Cup in late November.
Barring a rearranged fixture against Hibs, all pre and post-split fixtures to follow Sunday will be against teams outside the Premiership’s top four.
“A result against Celtic would be massive,” central defender Morris said.
“They’ve come into a bit of form since the last time we played them, but they are still a vulnerable team – every team in this league is.
“If we do things right, and put into practice the game plan we’ve been working on, hopefully we can take something from it.
“The more positives we take from the Celtic match the better because it is getting to the cut-throat part of the season. We need to be all guns blazing going into these last few games to make sure we can secure safety.”
Morris says he thrives on the kind of challenge he will face against Odsonne Edouard and others at the weekend and is unwilling to look too far ahead of the approaching fixture.
But he issued a call to team-mates to take full heed of County’s perilous position in the league ahead of a last nine games that will decide their fate.
“The gaffer has changed things around a bit and we’ve taken a bit of lift, with a few good results,” the Geordie said.
“But the league table doesn’t lie. We know the position we’re in here. It is all our doing and only us can put it right.
“As much as there is positivity around the place, we also need to have a bit of a reality check and realise where we are right now. As soon as we accept that, and realise the task in front of us is to get away from where we are, I’m sure we can start turning results around.
“We can’t shy away from the challenge, we have to own it. We can’t sugar coat the fact we’re in the thick of a relegation battle. We know what we need to do.
“Hopefully on Sunday we can put in a good performance and then each game remaining is a cup final. If we can put a run together, we should be okay.”
Morris believes a good start will be crucial on Sunday and added: “We’ll try to get a foot in the game and frustrate them a little bit because that then breeds positive energy throughout the team.”
