Jack Baldwin insists Ross County cannot afford to dwell on the lapses which have cost them points as they approach the final six games of the campaign and the climax of their relegation scrap.
County were defeated 1-0 by Kilmarnock in a scrappy game played in windy conditions at Rugby Park on Saturday, with Kyle Vassell netting the only goal in the second half.
St Johnstone’s 2-1 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road means County are now four points adrift in the relegation play-off spot.
Skipper Baldwin insists Don Cowie’s side must quickly brush off the disappointment as they battle to avoid the relegation play-off.
Baldwin said: “I think the game had 0-0 written all over it at one stage. The conditions, with two sides just battling away, made it a bit of a scrappy game.
“But those lapses in concentration have been killing us a little bit recently.
“It’s one where, the more you highlight that and focus on that, you tend to make even more in the future.
“It’s about us recognising what we are doing, but at the same time trying not to dwell on it too much because that can then spiral into more.
“In this league, you have to work so hard for so little. You get nothing handed on a plate. You have to fight and scrap and dig in for every single point and every single moment in a game.
“The tiniest lapse in concentration can cost you at any point, so it’s very frustrating for us, but we just have to use that to motivate us going forward.”
Staggies must get back on points trail on their travels
The defeat in Ayrshire continues County’s poor away form, with a previous trip to Rugby Park in September their only triumph on the road all season.
The Staggies last claimed a point on their travels in a 2-2 draw with Livingston in January.
Baldwin says his side must find a way to turn tight encounters in their favour, adding: “I think we could have done a lot better away from home than we have done, that’s for sure.
“We’ve been in winning positions away from home and not taken anything from games, or looking to take a point away from certain games and not managed to do so.
“Concentration is the overriding feeling (as to what the issue is), but it’s one that we can’t dwell on too much because we have to fight and have six huge games before the end of the season.
“Obviously, we’ll do our debrief as we do every week, we’ll watch parts of the game back and then back to the training ground and work hard for the remaining fixtures.”
Visit of Rangers up next for Dingwall men
County host Rangers on Sunday, in their final fixture before the Premiership split.
Defender Baldwin insists his side will set out to claim an upset against Philippe Clement’s side, but knows the Dingwall side’s fate will come down to the subsequent games against their bottom-half opponents.
The 30-year-old added: “In the next six games, none are going to be easy.
“With Rangers coming up to us next week, I’m sure the manager will have a gameplan which we’ll try and execute to get what we can out of the game and then it is on to five huge games.
“As cliche as it sounds, it is five cup finals at the end of the day, because that is how big each game will be.”
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