No chance that Ross County will be at full strength for Premier Sports Cup encounter with Dundee
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Ross County’s squad will not be at 100 per cent for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup match against Dundee, Malky Mackay has warned.
All football operations at the Global Energy Stadium were shut down for 10 days after a raft of positive Covid-19 cases, leading to the Staggies forfeiting their first game against Forfar Athletic.
The squad returned to training yesterday, but have had just a couple of sessions and some players are still feeling the effects of Covid-19.
So Mackay knows that some players will still not be available to play this weekend, saying he could not predict how players were going to react to returning to action.
“I know how certain players have been over
the last few days, so I would be very surprised if I have a full squad,” the former Cardiff and Wigan manager said.
“Over the last week to 10 days we have had an
array, and I include staff, of people feeling nothing is wrong and then others
being in bed not feeling good at all.
“I want honesty from the boys about how they are feeling.
“You can take them out to train and see how they are, but they need to tell you how they are.
“It will be how people are in the next few days which determine how the things go over the next week football wise.
“My first responsibility is to the health of the players, so we’ll see how they are and react accordingly over the next few days. I don’t know what the next week or so holds.”
County went into the group stages as the top seeds, and would have been expecting to qualify for the second round.
Giving up the points to Forfar, however, puts them on the back foot from the start.
Dundee will be looking to take advantage of the situation in Dingwall to lead the way instead, with a point to prove as a newly-promoted side, but Mackay will not read too much into Sunday’s result.
“Sunday won’t be a marker for the season, it is just two Premiership teams playing each other,” he said.
“Dundee will be a tough ask, I have no doubt about that, but right now with the greatest respect to Dundee and the cup, my head is with my group of players and their health.
“I am caring about the boys and how they are.”
