Ross County defender Erik Cikos conceded the Staggies came up against a side which wanted the points more in Saturday’s 1-0 loss against Hamilton Accies.
County fell to Premiership defeat courtesy of former Caley Thistle attacker Dougie Imrie’s 74th-minute goal, which came just 60 seconds after Michael Gardyne’s header was thwarted by a magnificent save by Accies goalkeeper Remi Matthews.
The Dingwall players had gone into the game full of confidence after back-to-back victories against Caley Thistle and Kilmarnock but they could not carry their momentum into this weekend’s international break.
Slovakia international Cikos had no complaints about the outcome and said: “It was not a good performance from us. We were not quick enough and they looked a lot more hungry than us.
“It was looking like it was heading for a draw and Michael Gardyne had a big chance for us just before they scored.
“We didn’t look like we did in the last game against Kilmarnock. We weren’t quick enough or strong enough in the contests. That was the reason for the result – it looked like they wanted to win more.
“It was always going to be a one-goal game and when we lost it there was not enough time to score.”
The Highlanders have taken six points from a possible 12 and Cikos is confident the Staggies will show their performance at New Douglas Park was but a blip when they return to action against Motherwell at Victoria Park a week on Saturday.
The 28-year-old added: “We didn’t play well, but that’s football. We are disappointed but we have to keep working hard and keep our heads up and keep going.
“We have the international break now, which I think will help us recover.”