Ross County manager Malky Mackay reckons lessons have been learned all round after two Covid-related punishments last year shattered the Staggies’ Premier Sports Cup aspirations.
County were hit by 3-0 defeats twice in the competition last year when they had to forfeit ties against Forfar Athletic and Dundee due to Covid hitting their squad.
Like Falkirk, who also had to forfeit two matches due to the impact of the illness, the Dingwall club were handed losses which effectively put them out of the competition, with only two more ties left to play.
County were gutted by the decision and Mackay spoke to the SPFL, raising his concerns about the severity of the punishment – with County’s forfeits coming before he’d even taken the team for a competitive match following his arrival last summer.
Case-by-case attention given by SPFL
An SPFL spokesman told the Press and Journal this week, with case numbers dropping within clubs, any forfeited League Cup game would be looked at on its own merit, with the preference certainly to shift the tie where possible.
He said: “If there were any changes to Government policy in the process, we would need to update it, but at the moment it is case-by-case.
“The situation last year was really different, with the cases much higher and we were not a full-ground capacity.
🔢𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟸/𝟸𝟹 𝚂𝚀𝚄𝙰𝙳 𝙽𝚄𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁𝚂
Our squad numbers for 2022/23 have been set! pic.twitter.com/CJR4gbB5wv
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) July 8, 2022
“The agreement was at the very start was that we have to fulfil the (Premier Sports Cup) fixtures.
“It is on a case-by-case basis from this season and hopefully, fingers crossed, moving forward we won’t have any.
“It isn’t necessarily the case that a forfeited game, or incomplete fixture, would lead to a 3-0 defeat if there was an opportunity for the fixture to be postponed, or moved. These would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.”
Mackay keen to move on after ’21 exit
Mackay, whose side host Dunfermline Athletic in the League Cup on Saturday, is happy the rules have been altered by the SPFL and feels it was a learning curve for all.
He said: “I spoke to (SPFL secretary) Calum Beattie about it last year because I felt it was really harsh.
“He is a progressive guy. When I spoke to him last year, he said they were lifting (that punishment) from UEFA.
“When you looked into that, the UEFA punishment was for teams who had not completed a fixture. It was a way of making sure with a 3-0 defeat you don’t get into the next round.
“Covid is a completely different thing. No one wanted the fixtures off.
“The 3-0 punishment, rather than a 1-0, makes a big difference.
“When I suggested that last year (to the SPFL), they did talk about looking at it and they have.”
League games were replayed last year
Mackay underlines his belief the League Cup-only sanctions in place last term simply didn’t work.
He said: “There was also the situation last year where it was brought in for the League Cup and (then) they tried to do it for the league.
“They were not on sound ground to do it for league games, but they could affect it in the League Cup, which was a bit unfair when it was not across the board.
“For example, we had Hibs due here and they called off on the morning of the game. The game had to be replayed, whereas the two (cup) games at the start of the season, we lost.
“It was disappointing at the time. I think everyone has learned lessons from Covid.
“Like then, it is just something you get on with. We didn’t enjoy it, and we were upset, but it was what it was. We dealt with it, although it meant our run in the League Cup was curtailed right away.
“Hopefully we can just crack on with it this year and hopefully none of us have to be dealing with Covid cancellations this season and we can get back to just playing football.”
Experienced defender checks in
Mackay, meanwhile, is thrilled to make former Middlesbrough right-back Callum Johnson, 25, his ninth summer signing.
The County boss tracked him for 12 months, with the player having racked up more than 200 games in the English Football League.
He left Boro five years ago to go on loan to Accrington Stanley and a loan move soon became permanent before joining Portsmouth in September 2020.
His experience grew with Pompey before he made a loan return to Fleetwood last term.
The waiting game, and a dash of persistence, paid off for Mackay, who has signed the player on a two-year deal.
The manager said: “Callum is one I targeted and spoke to a year ago and we’ve brought him in a year later.
“He’s a great age, with good experience in English football – he’s played consistently and done well wherever he has been.
“From our investigations into him, it was clear he’s got good character, attitude and is exactly the type of player I want at our football club.
“That consistency and that number of games in English football tells me something about him. He brings good experience into the group.”
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