Ross County midfielder Ian McShane hopes his double in yesterday’s 3-2 Premiership defeat by Aberdeen will be enough for him to retain his place.
McShane has found game time limited since making the step up from Championship side Queen of the South in the summer, with yesterday’s Dingwall game only his sixth start since joining the Staggies.
He took advantage of his opportunity, netting two goals, although a double by Dons defender Shay Logan and a penalty from Adam Rooney ensured the Reds took full points.
McShane hopes to convince manager Jim McIntyre he is worthy of a run in the team, having previously worked under him at Queens.
The midfielder said: “It was good to get two goals and get a chance in the team from the start but it was a shame about the result, which was the most important thing. On a personal level, it was nice to get two goals.
“I can’t even remember when I last scored, so it was nice. They were my first Premiership goals, so, hopefully, I can stay in the team and get a few more.
“It’s been hard, I took time to settle in. I played at the start but I haven’t played really well. It took me time to settle in training but I think I’ve found my feet now and, hopefully, I’ll get a wee run in the team. The manager has been brilliant with me throughout my career, so I hope I can repay him.”
County remain fifth in the Premiership despite yesterday’s loss, and McShane is determined not to drop out of the top half of the league.
The 23-year-old added: “We’ve got the players to push on even further than the top six. The main aim is to finish in the top six, though, so we just need to get back to that consistency.
“We’ve been there since the start. It would be frustrating to drop out, so we’ll try our best to stay there. We seemed to force things a wee bit against Aberdeen. We maybe could have kept the ball a bit better and tried to break them down.
“It was just one of those days. If we had taken our chances we’d maybe have got the win. It just wasn’t to be.”