Ross County midfielder Michael Gardyne says the Staggies must not allow themselves to get carried away with their vast progress over the last 12 months.
County are the only Premiership side still competing on all three domestic fronts and will aim to secure their first major silverware in next month’s League Cup final against Championship side Hibernian.
It is a stark contrast to the position County found themselves in last year, having been six points adrift at the foot of the Premiership and looking certain to be relegated until an excellent run of 10 victories from their final 14 matches secured their top-flight safety.
The Staggies have taken their fine form into this season and are fourth in the Premiership. With a Scottish Cup fifth-round tie at home to junior outfit Linlithgow Rose tomorrow, Jim McIntyre’s side will be optimistic of securing a quarter-final berth.
Gardyne acknowledges the strides his players have taken but knows the job is far from done.
He said: “Things just change incredibly. That’s what football is all about and that’s the magical thing about it.
“From where we were last season when we then went on a run of nine wins in 11 games just shows what can happen. Confidence has spread through the squad.
“It’s incredible. This time last year we were bottom of the league, so to be where we are now is nice. We have the League Cup final to look forward to next month but we have done nothing in the league yet.
“We have got ourselves into a great position. We are fourth in the league and hopefully we can push to secure a top-six place. We have the League Cup final to look forward to and a possible quarter-final in the Scottish Cup if we win this weekend. We need to make sure we are professional and see it through.
“We are in a good position in the league but we have massive games coming up against Hearts and Celtic which will be tough. We want to make sure that, as well as the cup final to look forward to, we’re in the top six.”
Gardyne credited manager McIntyre for the improvement he has overseen since succeeding Derek Adams in September 2014.
The 30-year-old added: “When the manager arrived he was getting his ideas across but now he and Billy Dodds have had a good amount of time to work with us and training sessions to get their points across.
“He’s brought in the players who he wants to be at this club and there has been a big change from last season. With it being his squad now, he knows the way he wants to play.”