Ross County midfielder Jordan Tillson aims to use the international break to hit the reset button in the Staggies’ Premiership campaign.
County are still searching for their first league win after eight matches, with back-to-back home fixtures against St Mirren and Livingston next up.
Englishman Tillson is among the players to have stayed on from last season’s successful battle against relegation, with manager Malky Mackay having since brought in 12 players following his arrival in the summer.
Despite the lack of victories, Tillson has been encouraged with the way the Staggies squad have adapted to Mackay’s approach and he feels the extra time on the training pitch can help them to discover a winning formula.
Tillson said: “We have had a lot of bodies come in since the start of the season.
“Everyone has taken the manager’s words and advice on how he wants to play.
“We have stuck to the gameplan he wants, and this gives us the chance to have a little reset to work on some stuff and get ready for the next few games.
“It allows him to reiterate things we have been working on, and gives us time to do things we wouldn’t have the chance to do during the week if we had a game to build up to.”
Tillson, who arrived from Exeter City in January 2020, hopes the backing of the Dingwall crowd can help his side back to winning ways in the coming weeks.
He added: “It’s always nice to play at home, back in front of a home crowd.
“It’s important to have the fans back in the stadium after Covid.
“It was only the first eight games I was here that the crowds were in, and then it all changed.
“I can imagine it has been hard for the fans, they have had to pay their subscriptions and not all of them will have had access to it.
“It makes it easier when we’re at home with fans behind us.”
During the downtime away from the training ground, Tillson aims to make the most of his Highland surroundings to refresh his mind ahead of an important period of matches.
The 28-year-old added: “We have a couple of days off this weekend, so it will be nice to catch up after quite a busy period.
“I was going to go home, but I’m quite settled and happy up here. It’s quite nice to just have a couple of days with the family, as we have had quite a few away games recently.
“I have been quite a long way around the Highlands. I have been past Brora, although not quite as far as Wick.
“It’s beautiful, and especially when the weather is so nice.”