Iain Vigurs believes Ross County should use this season’s surprise package Livingston as inspiration for their return to the Premiership in August.
The Staggies are back in the top flight after a one-year absence following their relegation last season and Vigurs says the performance of Livi in the division this season shows Championship clubs can compete.
Livi were int the top half of the division for most of the campaign before finishing ninth and Vigurs believes County can be next season’s dark horses.
He said: “First and foremost when you are promoted your aim is to stay in the league but it’s the old cliché of taking game by game, bit by bit, and we’ll see where it goes. We’re not setting any targets as of yet. We report back on June 20 and we’ll take it from there.
“Livingston were in the top six for most of last season before dying away towards the end but they showed what can be done. We’ll see how pre-season goes with the Betfred Cup and take it from there. If we say we want to be top six we’ll be setting ourselves up for a fall. Maybe I should say we’re going to win the league.
“A lot of people believe the top six is made up already with Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. What Kilmarnock have done is quite incredible but not one ball has been kicked yet so we can’t say who is going to end up anywhere. We can only do our best and see where it takes us.”
Vigurs is delighted to be heading back to the Premiership following two years in the second tier of Scottish football and he believes his club is well prepared for the challenge ahead.
He said: “My last season in the Premiership with Caley Thistle wasn’t great. Nobody enjoys being relegated and it was definitely a season to forget. It feels so long ago and I’m delighted to get another crack at it.
“We’ve got a lot of players who know this club inside out and the Highlands inside out. They know what to expect. We’ve got experience of the Premiership and in the team so we’re not going into anything we haven’t done before.
“We know exactly what we are getting ourselves into and what to expect from teams. It will be different from last season where we dominated a lot of games. It won’t be like that next season, it’ll be completely different and we will be much more tactically aware going into games especially against the big guns when they come up here.
“But we’re looking forward to it; it’s going to be a challenge. I came back here as I see Ross County as my team first and foremost.
“I also saw them as a team capable of getting promoted at the first time of asking and competing in the Premiership. We’ve done the first part, now we have to go out there and compete against the so-called big boys.”