Defender Keith Watson ‘honoured’ to step in as Ross County captain
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Ross County have had their share of players wearing the captain’s armband this season.
With skipper and deputy Iain Vigurs and Callum Morris both spending time out of the side, others have had to step in.
On occasions when a younger side was on the pitch, Ross Stewart took on the responsibility before leaving the club in January, while Michael Gardyne has also been trusted to lead the way at times.
In recent weeks though, Keith Watson has been the man to lead the Staggies out of the tunnel.
It has been a new experience for him, but while he has enjoyed it he has no intention of displacing Vigurs or Morris any time soon.
“I’ve actually never been a captain before,” he said
“I’m getting on a bit now, I’m 31, so to get the armband for the past couple of weeks with Vigs and Cal unavailable, it’s good for me, I was delighted.
“I’m quite vocal on the park anyway, so I just kept on doing that.
“I like communication on the park, and encouraging boys, I do that all the time.
“Nothing changes for me, it’s just obviously that I’m running about with an armband on.
“It’s an honour to wear it, but as soon as Vigs or Cal are back involved I’m sure it will be passed back over.”
Communication, especially from the backline, has become a more prominent part of County’s game in recent weeks.
For Watson, that is crucial if the Staggies want to keep picking up points.
Leo Hjelde was a particular target of Watson’s shouts when he first came off the bench last weekend against Kilmarnock, but Watson was impressed with how the Celtic loanee responded.
“I know how hard it is coming on in such a big game when you’re a young boy,” Watson explained.
“It maybe took Leo 10 or 15 minutes to get into the game, and I let him know about that, but it kind of worked because he went and scored the goal and defended really well in the second half.
“I remember when I was his age, making my debut, the older ones used to get on to me if I wasn’t up to scratch, and you kind of need that because that’s how you learn.
“It makes the game so much easier when you talk to each other.
“We’ve got a mix of experience and youth in the team, and I think it’s a really good mix because the older ones look out for the younger ones and give them advice.
“Especially when we’re at the wrong end of the table, when we’re fighting and scrapping for points, talking and communication is such a big thing.”
