Malky Mackay says other Premier Sports Cup groups have reinforced Ross County’s need to finish off their own job in style against East Fife.
County are two points clear at the top of Group C, and will ensure their passage into the last-16 of the competition with a victory over the League Two Fifers.
The Staggies were unable to progress from their section last year, after a Covid outbreak forced them to forfeit two of their four group fixtures.
A number of County’s fellow top-flight sides have struggled during the early stages of this year’s tournament.
Hibernian and St Mirren have already been eliminated, while St Johnstone and Livingston still have a fight on their hands to qualify from their sections.
Mackay says the Staggies are focused on doing a professional job against this weekend’s opponents.
He said: “It was a clear target from day one.
“We were unfortunate that this chance was not available to us last year, so it’s terrific that we’ve managed to get to a point where we’re one game from getting through.
“Obviously we’ve got a game on Saturday where we’ve got to make sure we go and play a really good, competitive game against East Fife.
“We’re in a situation where we top the group, and we’re one game from the last 16.
“Having looked at the tables over the last couple of days, you can see two or three teams that were maybe expected to go through that look as though they can’t go through.
“That shows the value and importance of making sure all of these games are approached in the correct manner – and how tough they actually are.”
Ross County boss confident fans will appreciate new faces
Mackay has drafted 10 new players in during the course of the summer, with his latest addition William Akio in line for his debut against East Fife.
With the Staggies back at home following Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Alloa Athletic, Mackay hopes his new-look squad can quickly strike a similarly strong rapport with supporters to the team which finished sixth in the Premiership last term.
He added: “I certainly hope they can have the same relationship with the supporters.
“What our fans saw last year was dynamism, people that can actually get bums off seats.
“I think they really enjoyed that, and I think we’ve got that again.
🦌 Jordy Hiwula securing all 3⃣ points for the Staggies on Saturday!#PremierSportsCup | @RossCounty pic.twitter.com/lCnhX75u6w
— SPFL (@spfl) July 18, 2022
“We’ve got various players that could do that and, that being the case, I don’t think it’s a hard thing for our players to have a good relationship with the fans.
“They’re really welcoming people, and I think they appreciate players working hard.
“When they see that, and then they see us really going at teams in attacking areas, it’s something that our fans are really pleased about.”
County’s only absentee will be forward Dominic Samuel, who has been ruled out with a slight knock.
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