Ross County forward Ross Stewart is challenging himself to deliver an even better season following his successful step up to the Premiership last term.
Stewart enjoyed a clean sweep of the Staggies’ player of the year awards earlier this month, after netting 11 goals in the first six months of last season.
A hamstring injury thwarted Stewart’s hopes of adding to his tally prior to the coronavirus shutdown, however the 23-year-old feels he has plenty to build on when the new Premiership season kicks off as expected in August.
Stewart said: “It’s going to be another season where I put pressure on myself to try and do better than I did in the previous campaign.
“Everyone knows I’ll work as hard as I can to get back to those levels.
“To miss such a long spell through injury and then coronavirus, it was down to me to get my fitness levels back to where I know they can be.
“Hopefully, with the longer pre-season Ross County now has in place for us up here, I can do that and be ready to go when the new season starts.
“Hopefully, as a team, we can do what we did at the start of last season, because we started really well.
“We’re looking to have another successful season.”
Stewart was brought to Dingwall by the previous joint management team of Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson in 2018, when he made the switch from St Mirren.
Although Kettlewell is now solely in charge, Stewart credits the co-managers with preparing him for his first top-flight campaign last term.
Stewart added: “The managers, as they were at the time, played a huge part in it.
“They got me to believe in myself and what I was capable of, and brought my confidence to a level where I was going out on the park feeling comfortable that I was capable of doing what I was brought to the club to do.
“When you start the season well, which I did, it gives you a platform to know you can compete at this level.
“I certainly think those six months were the biggest jump I’ve had in my career in terms of showing that I can do it at this level.”
County are searching for a new captain after Marcus Fraser turned down a new deal, and Stewart reckons the defender will be a major loss to the Staggies.
Stewart added: “Marcus leaving is a big loss to the club. He was the captain and a big character in about the dressing room.
“He will be a big miss. What he has done up here for the club has been huge, but it just one of these things in football you can’t control.
“He’ll do what’s best for him and the club will choose a new captain and move on.”