Scott Fox says recent performances show the Staggies players are fully supportive of the appointment of Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson as co-managers – even though he is still getting used to calling them “gaffers.”
Kettlewell and Ferguson have been rewarded for overseeing an improvement during their interim stint in charge following the resignation of Owen Coyle last month, after being handed the reins permanently by chairman Roy MacGregor.
Although County are a point adrift at the foot of the table ahead of today’s vital trip to Hamilton Accies, Kettlewell and Ferguson have recorded one win and three draws in their six games in charge.
With both having worked in the club’s youth set-up previously, Fox says the pair have been well received by the Staggies’ squad, and he said: “I think it is a good appointment. The whole club and community knows what Ketts and Fergie bring.
“It is good for the club as a whole and the players are fully behind them, as you can tell from performances recently.
“We’ve bought into everything they are trying to implement in games.
“It is good for the pair of them to know where they stand, no matter what happens now.
“Since I’ve been up here, I’ve worked closer with Ketts than Fergie as he was more of the community guy. Fergie is Ross County through and through as well.
“I know how much the club means to Ketts – although I’ll have to start calling him gaffer now.
“It is a boost to the whole dressing room as it shows we’re doing something right as well and the chairman sees that. It is all about the stability of the club.
“This club has been really good to me as well. They have looked after me. It has still been positive, even though we’re in a negative situation.”
Despite this week’s announcement, Fox insists Kettlewell and Ferguson have kept the squad’s focus firmly on today’s trip to New Douglas Park.
The 30-year-old added: “As players, our job now is just to focus on the games and get it done.
“We know the position we are in – there is no hiding place. There is no ‘it will turn’ or stuff like that. We’re set plans, game-plans and work we’ve done in training all week going into the Saturday.
“It shows in how it has benefitted us – the confidence returns and we believe more and more in what we’re doing.”
County will leapfrog Accies with a victory in today’s lunchtime kick-off in Lanarkshire, and despite having just four games left, former Partick Thistle goalkeeper Fox remains upbeat about the Dingwall side’s survival chances.
He added: “It is in our own hands. I think we would have taken this four or five weeks ago, going into the Partick game three points behind.
“Lose that and we were six points adrift – a long way back.
“Now we’re probably looking at Hamilton, who a couple of weeks ago might have thought they were safe, eight points clear of us.
“There are going to be a lot more twists and turns, I know that. It is just about taking one game at a time. Hamilton is the big one and we’ll see where we are after this.”