Ross County forward Alex Schalk is confident his blossoming partnership with Brian Graham can continue to deliver goals for the Staggies in the absence of 24-goal pairing Liam Boyce and Craig Curran.
Schalk and Graham were both on target in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against League 1 leaders Dunfermline in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
The pair had not played together until Graham replaced Curran after 17 minutes of the 2-0 defeat by rivals Caley Thistle this month when the Englishman suffered a head knock.
Curran is still sidelined, along with leading scorer Boyce, who is recovering from a broken hand, meaning Schalk will team up with Graham once again in tonight’s replay against the Pars at Victoria Park.
The Dutchman reckons the pair are developing a sound understanding, adding: “Brian is helping me a lot. He’s talking to me and saying where I should be – right shoulder or left shoulder – and that was typical of the goal we scored.
“He held the ball up with a great touch and played a great pass for my goal. Our communication is getting better.
“Still, we can’t expect to have the same understanding as, for example, Liam and Craig. We would have played once in the reserves together but it was postponed. So, until Brian came on against Inverness, we had never played a game together.
“But we’ll get there. If we get games together, we will get time to get used to one another.
“It’s an opportunity but we have to be realistic. Liam, especially, has scored a lot of goals. He’s important for County, as is Craig. We’ll try our best and make it as hard as possible for them.
“We know they will come back sharp as well, so it is good for the team to have good competitors.”
Schalk’s opener after just three minutes at East End Park was the 23-year-old attacker’s first goal since joining County in October, after leaving previous club Go Ahead Eagles in August.
The former Netherlands under-21 international is determined to help his side overcome Dunfermline at the second attempt this evening and added: “It was a fantastic feeling for me but I’m still eager to become more important to the team, starting in the replay.
“For both goals there was space in behind. That’s where we need to find our chances as we didn’t use that as much as we wanted.
“We need to make sure they cannot be as attack-minded as they were late on. We need to minimise their chances and avoid giving them a lift. We also need to defend solidly and get ourselves a clean sheet.”