Liam Boyce concedes injury fears prompted him to put Ross County – and himself – first during his recent international jaunt with Northern Ireland.
Boyce pulled out of his country’s squad for the Euro qualifier against Hungary this month after sitting on the bench for the victory against the Faroe Islands.
The Staggies forward could have kept quiet about niggling injuries and
remained part of national manager Michael O’Neill’s plans for the Belfast group match.
But concerns over the risk of exacerbating problems he was carrying ahead of County’s trip to play Motherwell tomorrow persuaded him to travel home early.
Boyce, with five goals in his last five County matches, was an unused substitute as O’Neill’s men overcame the Faroes in a 3-1 away victory to strengthen their bid for the finals in France next summer.
Boyce desperately wants to be part of O’Neill’s side but had to weigh up the pros and cons of club and country involvement and decide what was the most sensible course of action.
The former Werder Bremen and Cliftonville attacker said: “I was training well with the international squad but, unfortunately, didn’t get on against the Faroes.
“I was due to come on at 1-1 and then we went 2-1 up and I was back to the bench. I had a slight knock on my calf and my ankle was tight, as well as my hip, so weighing it up I just wanted to get back
unscathed for a big game on Saturday. I didn’t want to risk it in the match on Monday. If it had got worse, I wouldn’t have been able to play on Saturday.”
Boyce played well in the draw at Motherwell, although he felt he might have converted one of the chances that came his way. In the end, there was disappointment at losing two points from a winning position.
He said: “It was a bit of a strange game. There weren’t a lot of clear-cut chances. It is just unfortunate we lost concentration in the last couple of minutes.
“It felt like a defeat. We felt like we’d played well enough to win the match and we wanted to keep the winning run going.”
Boyce, though, knows there is obvious progress from last season as County remain fourth in the Premiership table.
He said: “In the first half of last season we were struggling to get any kind of result and a point away to Well would have been a great one. It shows just
how far we’ve come that we’re coming away with a draw and feeling disappointed.”
While Partick Thistle can’t seem to buy a win right now, rather like Ross County at this stage last season, Boyce knows how quickly fortunes can change.
Wary of the Maryhill men, the forward added: “It is a dangerous situation. Last season, we went on a seven-game losing streak without any points.
“When you come up against teams like that you know the pressure is on them, but you never know if it will click for them on the day.
“They can be like a wounded animal. You don’t want to back them into a corner as they can come back and bite you.
“We did it last year here against Dundee and it got our season going, so we’ll try and prevent that from happening this week.
“I know what the Partick lads will be going through. Even in training, you can feel a bit down.
“You just want to get the first win on the board and give everyone a lift at the whole club. They will be well-motivated to get that this week.”