Former Ross County skipper Marcus Fraser is confident Staggies manager Stuart Kettlewell will be ready to hit the ground running at the start of the Premiership season.
Fraser will not be part of County’s squad next term, after the defender rejected a new deal to end his five-and-a-half year spell at Dingwall.
The 25-year-old’s departure, along with that of Richard Foster and Sean Kelly, has left County short of options in the full-back positions.
The Staggies had been tracking former Hamilton Accies right back Aaron McGowan, who has since signed for Kilmarnock, while County have also been linked with former Motherwell defender Richard Tait.
With Kettlewell now in sole charge after Steven Ferguson took up the role of chief executive, Fraser feels the Staggies will kick on after finishing in 10th last term, with their campaign ended with eight games remaining. Fraser, who is still looking for a new club, said: “With the run of games we had, we were backing ourselves to push up the league rather than down. I think it was only going to be positive.
“Although I’m not going to be there next season, it’s a good group of players.
“They are probably light in a few positions, but I’m sure the manager will have his signing targets.
“I’m sure they will be ready to meet the season head on. They will be looking for a strong start as always. That’s vital when you’re playing in the Premiership.
“I have always said throughout my time that the club has got everything you need.
“I’m sure they will do well. I wish them all the best.”
Fraser feels Kettlewell and Ferguson instilled a strong mentality in the Staggies squad during their march to the Championship title in 2018-19, which has continued to serve County well since stepping up to the top flight.
Fraser added: “We had that winning mentality in our squad.Sometimes we never played the best game, or the best way to win a football match, but we always seemed to get a goal in the last minute, or scrape three points.
“I think that’s what all good teams have, and I think that was a real factor in how we ended up winning the Championship and the Irn-Bru Cup.
“We just got our heads down and dug deep. If we played pretty football it was a bonus, but the number one priority is all about winning.
“I think that’s what we did the majority of the weeks.”