Ross County striker Alex Samuel hoping result against Hearts in Edinburgh can serve as a launchpad for Staggies to achieve ‘something great’ this season
Alex Samuel expects Hearts to have a point to prove this weekend, but insists Ross County feel like they can achieve something great themselves this season.
The Staggies travel to Tynecastle this weekend to face a side looking for a new manager after Steven Naismith’s departure last weekend.
Hearts surprisingly sit at the bottom of the Premiership table after losing five of their opening six Premiership matches of the season.
County, meanwhile, are fresh off another comeback draw, having salvaged a point at home against St Johnstone last Saturday despite going 3-1 behind in the 84th minute.
Samuel was the man to kickstart that resurgence with a quick response to Nicky Clark’s superb free kick that opened up daylight between the sides, heading in Aidan Denholm’s cross, and he says there is a unity in Dingwall that bodes well for the side’s chances this season.
“It was a really important result for us, because we know where St Johnstone are and every points is valuable in this league,” he reflected.
“We’re obviously disappointed first and foremost to be behind 3-1, but the character and the willingness not to get beat from the boys was phenomenal. That just shows what we can do.
“That comes from the gaffer. He has been brilliant, and since I came back in the summer he really gets the boys together.
“I think it’s also just where Ross County is. Everyone has to be together – in the central belt we could all be spread out, but here we’re all in Inverness or close by, so we’re a unit.
“If we can work and play as a team, we will achieve something great this year. Honestly, our ambition is to stay away from relegation, but who knows? We’ve just got to take it week by week.
“In my first year here we got top six, and that was built on a strong team, so it’s just about applying ourselves like we have been doing and hopefully we can achieve something really good this season.”
Although Ross County won the last time they faced Hearts, their most recent victory over the Jambos in Edinburgh was as far back as March 2017, when Alex Schalk scored the only goal of the game.
This weekend’s encounter may be a rare time the Staggies are considered favourites, given Hearts’ early-season struggles, but Samuel is wary of taking on a side who will be desperate to turn their fortunes around as soon as possible.
“Hearts have got an abundance of quality, and they’re just in a bad patch,” Samuel stressed.
“People will say it’s a great time to play them, but they’re a good team and we’re away, so it’s not going to be easy.
“Any team you play in this league will make it a really tough game. I don’t think anything is easy, and they’re going to want to prove a point because they’ve got an abundance of quality, and they will want to show that.
“We’ve just got to stick together as a team and hopefully get a result which would lead us nicely into Celtic and the international break.
“It comes around quickly, and we’ve just got to do our best.”
