Scott Fox was not fazed by Cove Rangers’ poor run – he was was just glad to be back out on the field again.
Fox has found first-team football hard to come by in the last couple of years, serving as back-up at Motherwell before a long spell out through injury.
He joined Cove last month, following the return of Paul Hartley as manager, but they shipped eight goals in his first two games. Prior to his arrival, they had conceded 14 goals in three games.
So for a long-awaited clean sheet and three points – their first of either on the road this season – to come against Partick Thistle was a huge weight off the side’s shoulders.
“You can look at the stats, but at the end of the day it comes down to experience,” said Fox. “I’m enjoying it, just playing and being and a part of something.
“You can look at the goals I’ve conceded, but during the games I’ve felt relatively good.
“It’s just one of those things (the goals). It’s happened and I can’t do anything about it.
“Everyone knows what the objective is. You can’t dwell on what’s happened the previous week.”
Stopped the rot
Saturday’s result stopped the rot, but only bought Cove a brief respite from the relegation battle in the Championship.
Arbroath and Hamilton Accies both dropped points below them and Cove now turn their attention to Sunday’s trip to face Dundee at Dens Park.
“It’s only the start of something if you continue it,” said Fox. “Let’s kick on to Dundee and take it from there.
“We’ve been in that position and we don’t want to be in it again. It’s something we can build on.”
🦊 An outstanding performance from Scott Fox this afternoon 👏 #CRFC | @Fox1NtheBox pic.twitter.com/qUXrKXdR9B
— Cove Rangers FC (@CoveRangersFC) February 4, 2023
Facing Partick saw Fox return to a club where he spent a long spell of his career, winning the First Division title in 2013 and was later included in the Scotland squad for matches against USA and Norway.
He left for Ross County in 2015, returned for a second spell in 2019, but opted to depart Firhill again in 2020 after they were relegated to League One.
The 35-year-old was booed during the game, but it did not put him off delivering a memorable performance.
“I’ve done alright here with previous teams. They don’t like me, but it is what it is,” he added.
“I’m a bit more experienced than I was before. It’s water off a duck’s back.”