Ross County finally reaped the rewards of their dominant attacking play when they swept Dundee aside in devastating fashion on Wednesday.
County were still searching for their first Premiership triumph of the season ahead of their trip to Dens Park, and had lost their previous four matches by the odd goal.
Amidst the Staggies’ 10-match winless run, Malky Mackay never wavered in his belief County’s approach would come good.
The statistics have been at the centre of that, and none more so than in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat to Livingston.
Following the game, Mackay said: “We had 65% of possession, and you don’t lose games with 65% possession.”
With every passing week without a victory however, it was becoming a harder task for Mackay to convince the Staggies supporters his side was on the right track.
With the threat of becoming detached at the foot of the table looming, Wednesday’s 5-0 triumph over the Dark Blues could not have come at a better time.
There remains plenty work ahead, with the Staggies still a point adrift of Dundee at the foot of the table.
It is difficult to escape the feeling the victory is a huge turning point in their campaign however. Not just to win, but to do so in such an emphatic manner gives the Staggies players a tangible feeling of reward for the dominance in play which Mackay has evidenced in recent weeks.
Right flank providing much of County’s threat
The wide areas have been a particular source of County’s threat, with their right flank combination of Harry Clarke and Joseph Hungbo causing no end of problems.
Clarke, who was brought in on loan from Arsenal as a central defender, is fast becoming an unshiftable right back following a series of stellar performances.
His heat maps from County’s last two matches against Livi and Dundee, above, show the 20-year-old’s desire to take ownership of the entire right side.
Clarke’s endeavours have borne fruit in an attacking sense, with two assists and two goals from his last three outings.
In doing so, Clarke has struck up an effective combination with Hungbo.
The on-loan Watford winger has consistently provided spark in matches, hitting the woodwork in three consecutive matches against Motherwell, Dundee United and St Mirren before winning a penalty against Livi.
He finally reaped the rewards for his flair in the most spectacular fashion, with his sublime 30-yard free-kick against Dundee already being spoken of as a potential goal of the season contender.
From Hungbo’s recent heat maps, shown above, the partnership with Clarke has allowed him to utilise his impact in the final third.
That contrasts with his fellow winger Regan Charles-Cook, whose heat maps, below, show a wider variety of positions down the left flank.
In the absence of a natural left back during Jake Vokins’ absence, Charles-Cook has regularly found himself covering a deeper position which underlines his work-rate.
It has not inhibited Charles-Cook’s attacking threat however, with his double against Dundee taking his tally for the campaign to four.
It is Blair Spittal however, who started on the bench on Wednesday, who ranks highest among the “chances created” chart.
Spittal played much of the campaign on the wing, prior to Hungbo’s introduction to the starting line-up, but the above table shows his own case for inclusion.
County are clearly not short of attacking threat, and Mackay will hope the ruthless way in which it came together against the Dark Blues is the start of things to come.
