Don Cowie feels a busy first transfer window as Ross County manager has produced a competitive squad.
Cowie, who was named the Staggies’ permanent manager earlier this summer, has made nine additions so far.
The latest of those, former Colchester United midfielder Noah Chilvers, made his debut in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Motherwell.
With just over three weeks of the window still remaining, Cowie is not ruling out further movement in his squad.
During a summer of transition at Dingwall, Cowie is pleased with the way his side is shaping up.
He said: “I had to make changes really. All the loan players left, and a lot of key players as well.
“There were players out of contract, and at the start of pre-season Simon Murray and Jack Baldwin left.
“There had to be that turnover. But we managed to get a couple of players out of contract re-signed, in George Harmon and Michee Efete. That was important, to keep that continuity.
“It was then about being patient and adding to the certain areas where we felt we were light.
“Now, I think we are at a point where we have a really competitive squad.”
Strong has played crucial role in Staggies’ recruitment
Cowie’s efforts to strengthen have been helped by the Staggies’ head of recruitment Greg Strong.
England-based Strong was brought to Victoria Park from Morecambe by previous manager Derek Adams in January, but remained in post following Adams’ departure in February.
Describing the process of recruiting players, Cowie said: “There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it.
“It’s a new concept for me to get used to, but something that I have really enjoyed.
“It’s a process. We identify the area of the team we are wanting to recruit in.
“We’ve got Greg, who is mostly based in England.
“We all believe we’ve all got a good concept of Scottish football, while Greg has that understanding of England, and can speak to his contacts there.
“It’s then about drawing up a shortlist of players for that area we are looking for.
“We will have a sit down and discuss what we have seen, and try to identify the one we think is the main target.
“It’s then about trying to have a conversation with that player.
“You then see if the player is willing to come to the Highlands, which can sometimes be a challenge.
“We believe once we get the player here, even if it’s to have a look about, they get taken aback by the size of the club and the facilities we have got, as well as the area.
“I think that is always key.”
County have stayed patient following shortened summer break
Having secured Premiership survival through the play-offs for the second successive campaign, the Staggies faced another shortened close-season.
Cowie hopes the Staggies will reap the rewards of showing patience in their efforts to rebuild after cliching safety.
He added: “What you’ve got to take into consideration is, we had a really short period of time for that turnover.
“Ultimately, we didn’t know what league we were going to be in. The targets might have changed, depending on what league it was.
“We had to be patient and wait. At the start of pre-season the squad looked pretty slim and sparse, but we stayed patient.
“We didn’t want to sign people for the sake of it. We identified who we wanted, and then it was about waiting for that right time.”
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