George Harmon insists he always believed in his ability to make an impact with Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.
Left-back Harmon has made a stellar impression for the Staggies in recent weeks, netting a goal and providing an assist in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road.
It followed up Harmon’s winning goal in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over St Mirren.
Harmon was a summer signing from Oxford City, who play in National League South – the sixth-tier of English football.
He caught the eye of County boss Malky Mackay during a solitary season at Marsh Lane, having previously been on the books at West Brom.
Although he was sidelined with a hamstring injury early on this season, a long-term ankle injury to fellow left back Ben Purrington has presented Harmon with an opportunity in recent weeks.
The 21-year-old is eager to make the most of it, and he said: “It’s been a massive change for me. I was playing non-league in England, so to come and play in the Scottish Premiership was an opportunity I was really grateful for.
“At the same time, I’m not trying to sound cocky, but I thought they’d brought me here for a reason.
“I want to be able to kick on and help the team as best I can.
“I always want to help the team in attack and defence. The manager has given me a lot of freedom down that left hand side, with the change of shape, over the past few weeks.
“That has helped me get into the areas, and I’m just happy to put the ball in the back of the net.
“I was disappointed to be out injured for six or seven weeks, but I’m back now and ready to kick on.
“It wasn’t nice to see Ben get an injury. It was bittersweet, because it allowed me to come into the team and get a run of games.
“Thankfully I’ve done that and been able to slot in quite well.”
No fear ahead of Parkhead trip
County’s back-to-back wins have moved them off the foot of the league table, and closed the gap on a number of teams chasing a top-half place.
The Dingwall outfit play their final game before the World Cup break on Saturday, when they face Celtic at Parkhead.
Although the league leaders will provide a stern challenge, Harmon insists his side will travel to Glasgow in buoyant mood following their recent results.
He added: “I think it’s been coming for the last few weeks. Performances have been getting better every week and to get those six points is brilliant for the team and has given us a massive boost.
“Now we look on to Saturday and we know we’ve got a tough test against Celtic. But, with the momentum we’ve built, we’ve got massive belief in the changing room.
“I think we’ve got to play the game, not the occasion. It’s going to be tough, but if you look at the games we’ve had against them at our place this season, we’ve been in them.
“Especially in the league game, we could have nicked something against them.
“We are going in with the same mentality – that anyone can beat anyone on their day in this league.”
Defender eager to maintain recent form
Harmon insists the Staggies are keeping their feet firmly on the ground following their recent upturn in fortunes.
He added: “We knew the position we were in, but we weren’t really looking at the table. It’s still early days and anything can happen, so we need to keep our heads down and take it game by game.
“Everyone wants to work for the manager. The training is just as intense and with that hard work, you do get rewards for it.
“We have to keep working hard, keep our heads down and not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.
“I think we’ve done that quite well this season, but we need to maintain that for the rest of the season.”
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