Nearly 10 years have passed to the day since Ross County last triumphed at St Mirren – which they will look to change when they travel to Paisley on Saturday… perhaps with Ronan Hale leading the line.
The Staggies have not won in eight visits to Renfrewshire, since a 3-0 triumph in April 2015.
That proved to be the night in which Liam Boyce truly announced himself on the goalscoring scene with the Dingwall club – netting all three goals to help his side take a major step towards Premiership survival.
In doing so, Boyce became the first Staggies player to net a hat-trick in the top-flight.
Northern Irishman Boyce had made the switch from Cliftonville the previous summer, and initially took time to adjust to the demands of full-time football.
Of five prior goals he had netted, four of them had come from the bench as a late impact substitute.
The treble against the Buddies arguably proved to be Boyce’s turning point. He went on to score three goals in the final five games of the campaign to finish on 11 for the season, before kicking on to net 20 the following year.
After finishing as the Premiership’s leading scorer with 23 goals in the 2016-17 campaign, adding a further strike in the Scottish Cup, Boyce secured a move to then-English Championship side Burton Albion.
His tally of 55 goals from three seasons makes him the Staggies’ fourth-highest goalscorer from the Scottish league era.
Can Hale make similar impact to compatriot Liam Boyce at Ross County?
Fast forward to the present day – could a similar breakthrough be forthcoming for Ronan Hale?
Since making the same move as Boyce did from Cliftonville last summer, Hale has been quicker off the goalscoring mark – with 12 strikes to his name.
He has proven himself capable of going on bursts of form throughout the campaign, but has been left on the bench for the Staggies’ last three matches.
Given all of those games ended in defeats – with County failing to score on each occasion – Don Cowie could be tempted to unleash leading scorer Hale in the Staggies’ final six league fixtures.
Similar to a decade ago, County are attempting to stave off the threat of the drop. They sit only a point ahead of Dundee, who occupy the relegation play-off spot, as they prepare for what threatens to become a fiercely-competitive bottom-six.
Cowie backs striker Hale to play ‘massive part’
Despite Hale’s lack of starting action in recent weeks, Cowie insists he sees the 26-year-old playing a major role in the weeks ahead.
Cowie said: “Ronan is someone who can play a massive part in these last six games.
“I believe he has done really well when you look, over the course, at his goal return.
“We want him to improve and he wants to as well – there are aspects of his game that he can improve.
“But in terms of having a natural goalscorer and having that instinct of being in the right place, Ronan has got it.
“The challenge for him, like others, is to force his way back into the starting team and show what he is really capable of doing, which I believe he can do.”
With the Staggies looking to end their Paisley hoodoo this weekend, would there be a more fitting place for Hale to emulate his boyhood hero Boyce by doing just that?
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