Fighting spirit will bode well for Ross County, says Ross Draper
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Ross Draper believes Ross County showed good fighting spirit to come back and claim a point against Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Draper had put the Staggies in front in a dominant first-half showing, only for the visitors to turn it around after the half-time interval.
Alan Power and Chris Burke gave Killie a 2–1 advantage within 20 minutes of the restart, so County needed to up their game to preserve their unbeaten start to the season.
Ross Stewart was the saviour just over 10 minutes from the end, slotting away a penalty after Burke was penalised for handball blocking Michael Gardyne’s effort.
“Killie are no mugs, they are a good side,” Draper said.
“The three in the middle were robust, and knew their jobs well. They were very well drilled, and they’ve got a bit of quality with the big man up top, and Burke as well.
“We were obviously disappointed to come away with a point because we controlled the first half, created a few chances and controlled the game.
“They are always going to have a spell, it’s just how we react from that. We have to take the positives.
“We want to win every game but sometimes we have to realise that come the end of the season, that might be a good point.
“The boys showed great spirit. We dug in at 2-1 and obviously still had chances with Ross Stewart’s header, and some other balls into the box that could have dropped.
“We take the point and the positives, and we realise it is a good start. It is only a start though, we have to go again against Dundee United on Saturday.”
Draper’s header to put County in front was a rarity – it was the midfielder’s first goal in almost two-and-a-half years.
Scoring is an area he wants to contribute more, and he certainly does not want to wait so long for his next.
“I went through a whole Championship campaign and another Premiership campaign without scoring,” he recalled.
“It’s a long time. I love scoring – I can’t do it enough. I haven’t done it enough and I want to try and add it to my game like a lot of boys do.
“We can’t rely on the boys up top to score 15 to 20 goals each and carry us.
“We have to chip in with goals from midfield and defence, and also contribute to keeping clean sheets.
“Everyone plays their part and that’s what will hopefully make us a success.”
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