Ross County forward Jordan White reckons the narrow defeat to Celtic underlines the strides his side have taken in recent weeks.
County put on a brave display at Parkhead, with David Cancola’s penalty putting them on course to become the first team to take points from a domestic trip to Glasgow’s east end this season.
Goals from David Turnbull and Sead Haksabanovic secured the points for Ange Postecoglou’s men, however, in the final match before the winter break.
The Staggies took full points from their previous two matches against St Mirren and Hibernian, which has moved them up to 10th in the Premiership.
White says the back-to-back victories gave the Staggies the belief to take the champions on in their own territory.
He said: “The manager put on a gameplan and we all knew what we were doing.
“We’ve got to take positives from that. We came into the match with six points from six and it is now six from nine in the last week before the World Cup break.
“We took Celtic almost all the way and it probably shows how far we’ve come recently.”
‘The most comfortable I have been in a game at Parkhead’
County have not fared well at Parkhead on league duty, with Cancola’s goal their first Premiership strike at the stadium since Stewart Murdoch netted to secure a 1-1 draw in April 2016.
White says running the Hoops so close only served to exacerbate his side’s ultimate disappointment.
The 30-year-old added: “The first half was probably the most comfortable I’ve felt in a game at Parkhead.
“I think Kyogo had maybe one chance, but from a defensive perspective it was really good.
“Then obviously, in the second half, we got the goal and after that there is always going to be a lot of pressure. Sometimes you need to ride your luck a wee bit.
“They did have quite a few chances at the end, but I was just gutted because there aren’t many times you will come to Celtic Park and have a chance of taking something.
“We went very close and I’m gutted we didn’t.”
Laidlaw to rescue in boot issue
In a bizarre incident early in the game, White was forced to change into a non-matching left boot following a collision with Hoops defender Tony Ralston.
Former Caley Thistle forward White revealed the spare boot belonged to goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw.
He added: “Their player’s studs went down my boot and the boot was done, but I didn’t have another pair of studded boots with me.
“I actually had to put big Ross Laidlaw’s left boot on – I didn’t want to put both of them on as mine felt more comfortable.
“My left foot is normally just for standing on anyway. It was the same size, so it worked okay, despite the odd colours.”
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