Will Nightingale revealed how he returned from injury earlier than expected to help Ross County to claim a clean sheet and a point in their Premiership opener against Motherwell.
The Staggies started the league campaign with a goalless draw at Fir Park, in a match which brought little by way of goalmouth action.
Defender Nightingale missed the entirety of County’s Premier Sports Cup group campaign due to an ankle injury he suffered in training, shortly after returning for a second season-long loan from AFC Wimbledon.
Nightingale’s return to action was timely given the absence of summer signing Ricki Lamie, who was ruled out of the trip to Well with an Achilles injury he suffered against Stirling Albion the previous week.
Although Nightingale had been due to step up his training schedule next week, the 29-year-old insists his determination to make a speedy recovery paid off.
He said: “I got given a timeframe, and I ended up a lot quicker than that was.
“I made it known to the manager and coaches that I was going to do everything to push myself to back in and around it.
“I was just very unfortunate that when I came back up, my boot got stuck in the ground.
“It was a bit of a freak accident really, but I felt strong and there was no serious damage.
“I think the ligaments did get stretched in a way where something could have happened, but luckily I felt in a good place.
“I had four weeks off for the summer, than back for two days, then another four weeks out.
“I worked hard to get myself back, but there’s nothing like sharpness with games, so that was obviously tricky for me.”
Staggies seeking improved away form to aid efforts to climb table
County claimed just a solitary victory from 19 league matches on the road last season, with manager Don Cowie insisting Saturday’s opening day point and clean sheet was a step in the right direction.
After coming through two successive play-offs to secure Premiership safety, Nightingale is eager to kick on this time around.
He added: “Away from home, it’s going to be tricky. That’s something we’ve spoken about and said we want to be better with, so it’s obviously positive that we got the clean sheet.
“We want to be better, we can admit that, and the only way we will is by recognising that.
“Nobody wants to be where we were in the last two years. I think we’ve definitely got the ability in the squad to do that, but I’m sure every squad believe in themselves.
“I think the biggest thing is consistency – we can’t do it one week then not the next.
“There’s a bunch of us who are all after the same thing. In my opinion there isn’t a lot to separate certain teams in this league, so that’s why we’ve got to work that extra bit harder and use our uniqueness as a club to set ourselves aside.”
Nightingale thrilled to be back in Highlands
After making 28 appearances last season, Englishman Nightingale insists a feeling he had unfinished business with the club was behind his decision to return to Dingwall.
Nightingale added: “I think it’s a special club. There’re a lot of people who go above and beyond.
“It’s such a tight-knit club, so it was something that I wanted to do.
“There was always that thing in my head that I wanted to come back and do better.”
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