Ross County manager Malky Mackay has urged his players to get their chastening defeat at Aberdeen out of their system as quickly as possible.
The Staggies suffered a 4-0 loss to the Dons at Pittodrie on Sunday but with the two sides set to meet again in the Viaplay Cup quarter-final on Wednesday at the Global Energy Stadium Mackay knows his players have to put their Pittodrie defeat behind them.
He said: “It’s about us going back in tomorrow morning and we can see there are glaring mistakes.
“There were really poor decisions with the goals today but it’s a Viaplay Cup quarter-final and a chance to get to a semi-final at Hampden so I don’t think I’ll need to get anyone up for that.
“It’s what every player should want and it’s certainly what I want. We know we’ve got a tough game against a team which has just beaten us 4-0.
“We know it will be tough but we have got to make it a tough game for them as well.
“There is an obvious disappointment tonight but tomorrow we’ll debrief that and then our focus will be on Wednesday night.”
Second half collapse worrying for Staggies boss
Mackay believes the first goal was crucial at Pittodrie and was disappointed to concede a second just before half-time.
But his biggest concern was with his side’s second half showing as they shipped two more goals to the Dons in the first eight minutes of the second half to end any hopes of getting back into the game.
The County boss said: “I thought we started the first 15 minutes reasonably well and we had a chance in the first minute and then 10 minutes later we concede.
“It was the injury substitution for Aberdeen which changed the momentum a little bit.
“I’ve looked at the first goal and I can’t blame anybody. The guy is falling and he has done an overhead kick and it’s gone through the line.
“A minute before half-time we’ve got a free kick, we’re in a good position and it’s a poor pass and a slip and we’re 2-0 down with a mountain to climb.
“But certainly in the first 20 minutes of the second half we didn’t do ourselves any justice and Aberdeen absolutely deserved everything they got today.”
Ross County boss wants to make amends in Viaplay Cup quarter-final
Mackay knows a huge improvement is needed but hopes the chance to make amends for their defeat against the same team is one his side will want to take in Wednesday’s quarter-final.
He said: “People can look at it both ways and say we’ve got more of the same coming or we have a chance to go and give a better account of ourselves.
“I certainly know what I want to do in that respect.
“The players have got that as well. We’ve got a good group of players and I’m conscious of the fact we cannot make so many poor decisions.
“You’ve got to wipe the slate clean every week in this division. If you don’t you go into the doldrums but we’ve got a group who have given a good account of themselves.
“There are days when you are off it and you hope there are not too many of them. There wasn’t last year in the general scheme of things.
“You have got to make sure you don’t give good players the time and space to do what they want to do.”
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