Malky Mackay has cleared the way for Ross County to bolster their squad – with nine players on their way out at Victoria Park.
The Staggies, unlike in previous seasons, have a strong core of last term’s pool under contract for the new campaign.
County will once again be able to offer new recruits the incentive of Premiership football, following their remarkable play-off triumph over Partick Thistle.
With four players leaving at the end of their contracts, and five loanees returning to their parent clubs, we look at some of the areas in which the Staggies boss will be looking to identify replacements.
Keith Watson
Defender
Appearances: 142
Goals: 3
Skipper Watson moves on, having been County’s longest-serving player.
He joined the Dingwall side in 2018, following the club’s relegation to the Championship. He had been released by St Johnstone, having spent the end of the previous campaign on loan at Hartlepool.
Watson’s vast experience was pivotal for County in the second-tier, as he helped Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson’s side to the Championship title and the Irn-Bru Challenge Cup in a double winning campaign.
In the last four seasons in the Premiership, Watson has at times found himself in and out of the side but has always been a reliable defensive option at either centre-half or right-back.
Given his body-on-the-line approach, Watson was a key asset in the latter stages of games in which County were looking to see out a result.
After taking over as manager in 2021, one of Malky Mackay’s first acts was to name Watson club captain, with Jack Baldwin given the role of team captain.
In November, Mackay said of Watson: “For me, individuals like that are gold. The more of them you can get at your club the better and it is why I named Keith club captain and why I wanted him to be the ambassador for the club. Keith leads by example.”
Alex Iacovitti
Defender
Appearances: 116
Goals: 12
Defender Iacovitti has opted to move on after spending three years in the Highlands.
Since being brought in from Oldham Athletic by Stuart Kettlewell in 2020, Iacovitti has been a highly consistent performer in the heart of the Staggies’ backline.
In the last two seasons in particular, under the management of Malky Mackay, Iacovitti has formed a formidable partnership with Jack Baldwin. Although Baldwin remains under contract for next term the loss of Iacovitti will be a blow for the Staggies boss, who persuaded the 25-year-old to remain at Victoria Park for another 12 months when his contract expired this time last year.
Last September, Mackay said: “I have spoken a lot with him about what I see in him, in his aggression and will to defend. A lot of people don’t want to do that these days, but he has a desire to stop the ball going in the net.
“Over the last year, he is as consistent a performer as we’ve had.”
Iacovitti’s defensive statistics show he will be a key component to replace, having topped the Staggies’ clearances (261) and interceptions (69) charts last season (Source – Statsbomb).
He also chipped in with some important goals during his time with the Staggies, most memorably the clinching second goal in the League Cup victory against Celtic at Parkhead in his first season with the club.
David Cancola
Midfielder
Appearances: 64
Goals: 3
Austrian midfielder Cancola was on trial at the Staggies under previous manager John Hughes in January 2021, but it was Mackay who was in charge by the time he arrived permanently that summer.
Cancola brought a number of useful attributes to the Staggies midfield, with good technical ability matched by a healthy grit.
He had something of a stop-start first season in Scotland, having struggled to shake off injury problems which limited him to 18 outings.
Although he was in and out of Mackay’s starting line-up last term, he was a thoroughly dependable player when called upon. He appeared to be trusted by the Staggies boss to play in big games, and was more often than not in the side when they faced Celtic or Rangers.
Cancola was heavily involved during County’s great escape, netting in an important 2-0 win over St Johnstone in April.
Dominic Samuel
Forward
Appearances: 46
Goals: 2
Englishman Samuel was Mackay’s second signing as County manager in 2021, joining on a two-year deal from Gillingham.
He arrived in Scotland having played for some big clubs in England such as Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Reading.
His career showed him to have been far from prolific, and unfortunately for County he was unable to fulfil his potential in Dingwall.
Samuel started Mackay’s first match in charge against St Johnstone, however the Staggies boss did not take long to favour Jordan White leading the line.
There were occasions in which Samuel would partner White during his first season, and he often showed some very neat link up attributes on the ball which made him a decent outlet.
He produced a negligible goal return during his two years at County however, with a close range finish against Dundee in December 2021 only followed up by a strike against Buckie Thistle in the League Cup group stage last term.
Samuel was way down the pecking order by the time Mackay restocked his attacking options in January, and he had not featured on the pitch since a trip to Aberdeen just after the turn of the year.
Owura Edwards
Winger
Appearances: 36
Goals: 5
Winger Edwards was among the first players drafted in by Mackay last summer, joining on a season-long loan from Bristol City.
Edwards’ rapid pace instantly caught the eye among County supporters, and he went into the season in confident mood after netting two excellent strikes in a 7-0 win over East Fife in the League Cup group stage.
The crossbar denied Edwards a stunning goal on the opening day of the league season against Hearts at Tynecastle, which may have given him the impetus to attack the campaign with confidence.
Although he finished the season with a tally of five goals, inconsistency was a common theme from the 22-year-old. He hit some decent form going into the winter break, most notably his performance in the 3-2 win over St Mirren in November, but the emergence of the highly productive Yan Dhanda into Mackay’s side prompted a change of shape which limited Edwards’ action.
After starting six of County’s first seven matches following the restart, Edwards was dropped from the starting line-up following the Scottish Cup defeat to Hamilton Accies in January and made only one further start in the Premiership play-off first leg against Partick Thistle.
In his final 13 outings for the Staggies, Edwards was sent off three times, and it come the end of the campaign Mackay clearly felt he was getting more end product from other attacking options.
Nohan Kenneh
Midfielder
Appearances: 19
Goals: 0
The addition of Hibernian midfielder Kenneh was an intriguing move by Mackay, which kick started a spree of five January arrivals.
On one hand the 20-year-old was still finding his feet in senior football, having been picked up by Hibs after his release by Leeds United last summer.
The fact he had made 19 appearances, of which all but three were starts, during the first half of the season suggested that he was by no means out of the picture at Easter Road.
Kenneh made the move to the Highlands in an effort to accelerate his development and he proved a useful short-term acquisition, bringing a physical dimension to the Staggies’ midfield which had previously been lacking.
He provided four assists during his time in Dingwall, and earned his first senior international recognition in March when he was capped twice by Liberia.
Josh Stones
Forward
Appearances: 6
Goals: 0
During a busy January which saw Mackay primarily focus on attacking reinforcements, 19-year-old Stones resembled something of an untested acquisition on loan from Wigan Athletic.
With one first team appearance under his belt at the Latics, Stones’ only previous sustained run of action had come with non-league outfit Guiseley, where his form had convinced the League One outfit to sign him as an exciting future prospect.
Stones’ strong build was clear to see and he looked to have the attributes to make himself a nuisance for opposition defenders.
In just six substitute appearances he did not have the opportunity to make a telling impact on the side however. In the first four of those he amassed just 33 minutes of action, coming to closest to scoring in the latter stages of a narrow 1-0 loss to Aberdeen.
He was handed lengthier game time in matches against Hearts and Livingston, at which point he looked like being prepared for a more important role in the side after the split, only to suffer an injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Eamonn Brophy
Forward
Appearances: 8
Goals: 3
Once-capped Scotland forward Brophy was County’s headline signing during the January window, after arriving on loan from St Mirren.
Brophy had just one starting outing for the Buddies under his belt this season, having fallen out of favour in Paisley.
Despite that he took just 13 minutes to score on his debut, in what proved to be a vital 3-0 win over Kilmarnock towards the tail end of January.
That was quickly followed up by a double in an equally crucial 4-0 win over Dundee United, at which point he already looked like he would be vital to County’s survival hopes.
Brophy’s arrival also coincided with Jordan White hitting an improved run of goalscoring form, with the gave him added merit at the sharp end of the Staggies’ attack.
Those would prove to be his only goals during what looked to be such a promising loan spell before a thigh injury against St Johnstone in early April curtailed his season.
The Staggies were able to avoid relegation but their survival may well have been wrapped up sooner had Brophy been able to continue his excellent form into the run-in.
Brophy is a player many Staggies fans would love to see back in the Highlands, but with a year left on his contract at St Mirren it would clearly come at a not insignificant cost.
Gwion Edwards
Winger
Appearances: 5
Goals: 0
The move to bring Welshman Edwards to Dingwall ran into the dying stages of the January transfer window before being completed, with the winger joining Wigan Athletic team-mate Stones in making the loan switch north.
Edwards was another January addition with little game time behind him, having featured only twice for the Latics earlier in the campaign.
The 30-year-old had no shortage of experience to offer though, having racked up more than 300 appearances in a career which also saw him feature for Ipswich Town, Peterborough United, Crawley Town and St Johnstone.
Edwards appeared to slot seamlessly into the side, however a hamstring strain suffered against Celtic in April added him to what became a hefty injury list.
He is now a free agent after Wigan announced he would not be offered a new contract, with Charlton Athletic and Bristol Rovers both linked with a move for him.
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