Watford youngster Jack Grieves feels Ross County loan is giving him valuable experience – and he is ready to kick on to help Staggies rise up Scottish Premiership table
Jack Grieves is grateful for the experience he is gaining during his loan spell at Ross County – and he is determined to help the Staggies kick on in the second half of the season after a tough settling in period.
The 20-year-old moved to Dingwall for his first loan away from Watford, but despite making 15 appearances across all competitions so far this season he only made three starts in the final four months of 2024.
Two of those came in the team’s last two matches before the New Year, though, against Dundee and Hearts.
In those, County claimed four points out of six – and ended a streak of 15 months without a league win away from home.
Both personally, and for the club as a whole then, Grieves is hoping for a bigger impact in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
“Obviously it’s tough moving so far away, and this is a different environment for me, but it’s a good experience,” Grieves explained.
“It’s something I’ve never done before, but I’ve settled in so now it’s about kicking on and getting as many minutes as possible and contributing as much as I can to the team.
“I came up here to get as much experience as I can, and luckily I’ve managed to start over the last couple of games so I have to thank the gaffer for putting his trust in me.
“I’m just trying to get as many minutes as possible, and contribute to the team as much as possible.
“Hopefully I can help the team keep moving up the league and putting points on the board.
“We want to be pushing as high up the table as we can, and put as many points on the board as we can.
“If it comes in scrappy games, or with scrappy goals, we won’t be complaining. As long as we can keep putting points on the board and pushing up the league, that’s the main focus for us.”
After a relatively comfortable 3-0 win at Dens Park, County had to show a different side of their game in the 2-2 draw against Hearts in extremely challenging conditions.
No strangers to dramatic conclusions to matches, the Staggies came from two goals behind deep into stoppage time to level.
As far as Grieves is concerned, that is the kind of mentality County will need to bring to the forefront if they are to end the season on a high note.
“The one thing this team has in abundance is that character and togetherness,” he added.
“That showed with the tough conditions – the boys pulled each other along and we ground out that result in the end.
“I think we ended up deserving a point. The boys put in a good shift, and that comes back to the togetherness we have in this team.
“We came away with four points out of six from the week, and I think it will stand us in good stead going into 2025.
“It’s just about building momentum, and especially over this period when you have so many games putting points on the board is massive for our confidence.
“It gives us a basis to go and push forward, which is important for us.
“Those points will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season hopefully.”
