Ross County striker Dominic Samuel well aware of consequences of beating St Johnstone in Perth in Scottish Premiership
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Ross County’s task this weekend is a simple one – win, and move off the bottom of the Premiership table for the first time in months.
Little by little, the Staggies have been closing the gap to the teams above them in recent weeks.
A 5–0 win at Dundee drew them back into the pack, but then weeks without playing saw others move clear again. Beating Hibernian, and following that up with draws against Dundee United and St Mirren, though, mean it is once again tight at the bottom.
Results elsewhere have gone in such a way that County know a win tomorrow at St Johnstone will see them move off the foot of the table, and out of the relegation zone altogether for at least 24 hours.
The significance, then, of three points is not lost on the squad, with Dominic Samuel saying they are well aware of the rewards that will come with victory.
“We were quite aware of that to be fair, we can see that the points are coming in,” he reasoned.
“If we’re not winning, at least we’re getting a point on the board, and we’re starting to get closer to the pack.
“Now on Saturday, we have to win to get out of the bottom, so we’re going to stick to our normal game plan and stick to what we do best and try to get the win.”
On a personal note, Samuel may just be hoping to play 90 minutes.
Since arriving in Dingwall, the 27-year-old has made 10 appearances in all competitions, but he is yet to complete a full match and most of his time on the pitch in the Premiership has come from the substitutes’ bench.
Wednesday night in Paisley was a rare league start for him, and unsurprisingly he wants to kick on and become a more regular part of the starting 11.
“It was kind of frustrating, but things can change so you’ve always got to stay on point and keep working hard in training,” he said.
“When your time comes, you’ve got to make sure you take it. When you get on the pitch, whether that’s in the last minute or you’re starting, you’ve got to give 100 per cent.
“I’m grateful I started the game, you can’t miss out on any game you’re selected. You’ve got to be at 100 per cent at all times.
“Hopefully I can get a run with the amount of games that are coming up.
“Hopefully (on Wednesday) I showed what I can do, so hopefully I’ll get put in for the next game.”
The Staggies had to settle for a point at St Mirren in a match where both sides had chances to break the deadlock.
That was not, as has been the case in previous matches, because of errors in the County backline, and Samuel feels the improvement across the side has been tangible.
“It’s down to the gaffer to be fair,” Samuel explained.
“He makes us work hard in training, and concentrate on the basics – which is defending – and we got another clean sheet.
“You can see that once you get the defending side right, the attacking side will come after.
“From where we were at the start of the season to now, I feel like the team is starting to gel.
“We’re starting to look threatening on the counter attack as well, and I think other teams are starting to have more respect for us now.
“At some point all these chances that we’re creating is going to come into one place, and then I feel like the goals will start coming.”
