Ross County defender Liam Fontaine feels Staggies are finding their feet following their step up to the Premiership this season.
County’s 2-1 victory over St Mirren on Saturday ended a streak of back-to-back defeats to leave the Staggies seventh after five games, and only trailing sixth-placed Kilmarnock on goal difference.
Although Fontaine knows stiffer tests await his side following their promotion from the Championship last season, the Englishman feels his side have the ability to cause their top-flight opponents problems.
Fontaine said: “We’re new to the league after getting back up. We know what we want to achieve this season, what we’re looking to achieve.
“We’re playing against better teams than last year and that’s the reality. We have to be able to adapt to whatever gets thrown our way.
“We need to be able to defend right when we need to defend, and we’re always going to trouble teams when we attack because we have some very good attacking players.”
County struck late to defeat Saints on Saturday, with skipper Marcus Fraser netting a stoppage time winner, and Fontaine feels the Staggies were rewarded for their determination.
The 33-year-old added: “That’s another three points and a home win, which was much-needed.
“In the end, we kept going right to the end and still played football to get the ball out wide to Richard Foster and Michael Gardyne.
“It was one of those horrible balls with the wind against them. If I’m their defender, I’m hating that ball coming in the box.
“Marcus gambled and got on the end of it. I’m delighted for him and delighted we got the points.
“That was the task – to get the win and open up a little gap between us and St Mirren because obviously we’ve seen how well they’ve started. That’s all we can look to do each week.”
County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw was at fault for Tony Andreu’s equaliser which looked like securing a point for the Buddies, however Fontaine backed his former Hibernian team-mate to put the howler behind him.
Fontaine added: “I think you have to be that character if you’re going to be any form of top goalkeeper. You have to be able to handle stuff like that.
“I’m not a goalkeeper, but he’ll know what he did wrong and take himself out on the training pitch and work on it.
“It is like any player, if someone is missing shots or penalties they need to go out and work on it. That’s what it comes down to.
“We’ve got a good vibe at this club. Everyone is in it together, the full squad – even the boys in the stand at the moment who are injured.
“That’s just how we have worked since the managers have come in.”