Ross County left back Jamie Reckord knows he faces pressure to keep his place in the Staggies team, despite marking his return from injury by helping the Dingwall side to a 3-1 win against Hamilton Accies at the weekend.
Reckord had been out since his side’s 2-1 win against Caley Thistle on October 27 after suffering hamstring and groin injuries.
The defender made 27 appearances for Jim McIntyre’s side last season after joining in October following his release by English Championship side Wolves.
McIntyre strengthened his defence in the summer and, with former Aberdeen and Rangers left back Richard Foster and Darren Holden competing for one place, Reckord knows he must continue to perform to keep his place.
The 23-year-old said: “I kept getting niggles but I did not think it was going to be a long-term injury break.
“I’m just happy to be back in the squad and training. Now I’m playing again I couldn’t be any happier.
“I just wanted to get back as soon as possible. Last season there were limited options for the manager but this season there are a few players who can play each position.
“I had to be patient and wait my turn and I am just happy to be back. My aim was to try to regain my place and do well for the team and I felt like I did that on Saturday.”
The victory against Accies snapped a sequence of five defeats from six league matches, with in-form Partick Thistle the Highlanders’ next opponents at Firhill on Saturday.
The Jags have won three on the spin and Reckord knows it is crucial the Staggies build on their return to winning ways. He added: “The teams below us seemed like they were catching us, so that win on Saturday was massive.
“I was a little bit surprised we stayed in the top six. I thought we’d have dropped out by now.
“We were not far off it when we were not winning game but didn’t have a lot of luck. We got that on Saturday.
“Hopefully, we can push on now and get some momentum going. We feel we can win on Saturday against Partick.
“They have been doing well recently but we’ve always done well against them, certainly in the time I’ve been at the football club.
“We did well on Saturday, so hopefully that can start a good run for us and we can get a few victories.”