Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell is drawing on inspiration from some of his most memorable nights at Victoria Park as he looks to steer the Staggies to a crucial Premiership win over Dundee tonight.
The Staggies face an uphill task in their efforts to avoid relegation to the Championship, having fallen two points behind Partick Thistle at the bottom of the table with just two games remaining.
Should Thistle defeat Motherwell at Firhill tonight, County’s relegation would be confirmed unless they match the Jags’ three points with victory against the Dark Blues.
Instead, former County midfielder Kettlewell is intent on making tonight a turning point in the Dingwall club’s bid to stay in the top-flight.
He said: “We have this special element of a Tuesday night under the floodlights. In the last 10 or so years I’ve been involved at the football club there always seems to be that extra buzz about it.
“I’ve got so many good memories of it as a player, as well as being part of the coaching staff over the last couple of years.
“I’ve several memories of big results – a 3-0 win over Partick Thistle for one, back in the season we were first promoted to the Premiership.
“I remember beating Hibs 2-1 up here in the Scottish Cup quarter-final replay when we went on to reach the final in 2010.
“There have always been some good results to pop up on those kind of nights, the last being the 4-0 victory against Partick Thistle. The players were fantastic that night.
“That doesn’t give us a God-given right to go and win the game in that manner, but I think there is a special element to it – and something we want to draw on.
“That’s something myself and Steven Ferguson experienced and drew on over the years. Why not go and write the next chapter with this game?
“This could all be blue-sky thinking from us. There has to be that positivity, but I genuinely feel this could be the next chapter – one we look back on and say ‘remember that night’.
“That’s the message to the players – don’t just drift through the games without good memories. Sometimes those good memories come from adversity. That’s what we’re looking to try and create ourselves.”
County are targeting their first victory since Alex Schalk’s hat-trick helped them defeat Partick 4-0 on April 3, however Kettlewell says the Staggies must balance risk with reward, adding: “We’re not shirking it. The message is clear – we want to win six points. How do we do it? There’s obviously going to have to be an element of risk involved.
“But I think it has to be a calculated risk because we don’t want to be out of the game before we have even started.
“So much of it is the timing aspect in the game and how we deal with scenarios presented.”