Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell says he is finding it difficult to provide his full squad with the game time it needs.
After sticking with the same team for the Staggies’ opening two matches, Kettlewell has rotated his starting line-up for County’s last two matches against Kilmarnock and Dundee United.
Although clubs are now able to make five substitutions during Premiership matches, Kettlewell says the absence of reserve or friendly matches has made it a challenge to get some players up to match sharpness.
Kettlewell said: “It’s a difficult situation, even now we’re finding it hard to play friendly matches.
“Often if there are guys out of the team, we would look to get them extra game time, so it has been difficult to manage that situation.
“I have to make sure that everybody is up to speed as best as they can be.
“These are all challenges that I have, but we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves, we just need to find a solution for it and get everybody working as best as we possibly can.
“It’s a difficult situation, usually we could call on any number of friendlies, maybe against Inverness, but that option is just not there at the minute.
“I need to keep everybody up to that level of match sharpness as best as I possibly can.”
Kettlewell handed a debut to former Caley Thistle skipper Carl Tremarco from the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Dundee United, and Kettlewell says the English defender has been playing catch up since joining last month.
Kettlewell added: “Carl came into pre-season late, and it has been difficult to get him game time.
“We’re trying to work him as hard as we can on the training pitch and get his fitness levels up, but he needs game time as well.”