Ross County embarked on the Premiership campaign with the aim of avoiding another relegation scrap – which their top-six finish accomplished in emphatic style.
Staggies chairman Roy MacGregor signalled the dawn of a new era when he appointed Malky Mackay as manager last summer.
That became even more apparent when 15 players were moved on from the Dingwall club, which necessitated a rebuild that was not complete until the final stages of the summer transfer window.
Mackay’s rebuild was in its infancy when he took his Staggies team to Elgin City for his first pre-season match on July 3, in a game County won 5-0.
Only Ross Callachan and Dominic Samuel had been signed by that point, but they were subsequently joined by a further 10 summer signings.
📝 Today’s line up to face Elgin pic.twitter.com/szM0Eibztp
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) July 3, 2021
Notably, nine of the 11 players who started that day have gone on to become mainstays of Mackay’s team.
Another player he inherited was not among that squad due to being on international duty, however it goes without saying Regan Charles-Cook has been among the Staggies’ greatest success stories this term.
Having been a peripheral figure in the squad under Stuart Kettlewell and latterly John Hughes the previous season, expectations were fairly modest for Charles-Cook among the County fanbase ahead of the new campaign.
He quickly left those of us who regularly watch the Staggies wondering why he had never been given a sustained run in the side.
His outstanding return of 13 goals saw him end the campaign as the Premiership’s joint leading scorer with Celtic’s Giorgos Giakoumakis, and earned him a place on the PFA Scotland player of the year shortlist.
Charles-Cook’s rise to prominence stood out, but it was also symptomatic of a general trend of the existing squad reaching new levels under Mackay.
Connor Randall, Jordan Tillson and Jordan White are among those to have signed long-term deals in recent weeks, having become trusted performers for the Staggies boss.
It was clear Mackay had to put his own stamp on the squad, which he was finally enabled to do after a period of severe Covid disruption within the squad – which forced County to forfeit two Premier Sports Cup ties.
Loan signings Jake Vokins, Harry Clarke, Alex Robertson, Ash Maynard-Brewer, Joseph Hungbo and Jack Burroughs were brought in, while Jack Baldwin, David Cancola, Ben Paton and Alex Samuel were drafted in permanently.
Among them there have been varying levels of success on the field, however Mackay has continually spoken of his pride at the working culture that has been developed within his squad.
His belief in the Staggies’ squad was unwavering, even during the side’s early season struggles.
County negotiated a difficult initial sequence of fixtures by drawing with St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Hearts in their opening six games.
The expectation was for them to start putting victories on board when they faced a four-game stretch against Motherwell, Dundee United, St Mirren and Livingston.
Stunning night at Dens Park proved to be County’s catalyst
A style of play was beginning to develop but a return of zero points left them needing a victory over Dundee to avoid going a full round of fixtures without a win
County duly delivered.
Their 5-0 win at Dens Park – which included Hungbo’s Cinch SPFL goal of the season winning free-kick – was the Staggies’ record top-flight victory and provided them with the stimulus for their campaign to take off.
County maintained good form, with their only three defeats from the remainder of 2021 coming against top-three sides Celtic, Rangers and Hearts. Victories over Hibernian, Dundee and St Johnstone were enough to move the Staggies out of the relegation zone into 10th place by the end of the calendar year.
The Dingwall men were forced to reshuffle in January, most notably the loss of Clarke who was recalled by Arsenal before being sent on loan to Premiership rivals Hibs. Although it was a severe blow at the time given his outstanding early season performances, the consistency of Randall at right back in the months since has more than made up for it.
County also moved Robertson, Coll Donaldson and Tom Grivosti on, with defenders Declan Drysdale and Kayne Ramsay drafted in.
After returning from the winter break with a fine 10-man victory over Motherwell, a Scottish Cup defeat to Livingston left the Staggies to solely focus on the league.
The task was initially to move further clear of the relegation zone, with a 2-1 win at Dundee in early February providing them with some breathing space.
Although that was their only win in six games, a subsequent run of three victories over St Johnstone, Motherwell and St Mirren was the catalyst to shift their target higher up the table.
It all came down to the final pre-split fixture at Pittodrie, where results elsewhere lined up to allow County to reach the top-six with a victory over Aberdeen.
In the dying minutes of the game, a Hungbo penalty achieved that feat to spark jubilation in the away crowd, and an emotional reaction from County chairman MacGregor.
European push fell short – but Staggies will reflect on fine campaign
Clinching a top-six place was not the end game for County’s campaign, as in doing so they put themselves firmly in contention to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.
That proved a step too far for the Staggies, who will be disappointed at taking just a point from their post-split fixtures. The 1-0 loss to Motherwell was the game which turned the tide against them, with their prospects of a top-five finish over by the time they approached their final game against Dundee United.
Although they fell short in that pursuit they will still reflect on this as one of their best, given they have only reached the top-six on two previous occasions.
Efforts are already under way to lay the foundations for next season, however they will lose a number of players this summer.
Blair Spittal has already confirmed his departure, while all six remaining loanees have returned to their parent clubs.
With every passing week, the prospects of retaining Charles-Cook, Harry Paton and Alex Iacovitti beyond the summer appear to become thinner.
Given the solid nucleus already in place, with a year under the stewardship of Mackay, the Staggies will be confident of having a stronger starting point for the new campaign.