STUART KETTLEWELL gathered good intelligence at Kilmarnock on Wednesday night – but reckons the real value lay in the seven-hour car journey.

After a frantic few days following Owen Coyle’s resignation, Ross County’s Kettlewell and co-caretaker manager Stevie Ferguson finally found a bit of peace and quiet during the 400-mile drive to and from Ayrshire. Time together behind the wheel helped galvanise thoughts and ideas on tomorrow’s Rugby Park test and the 10-game challenge of steering the Dingwall team to safety. The road ahead may prove bumpy, but Kettlewell is confident he and his close youth academy colleague can navigate a path away from relegation danger.

The 33-year-old ex-County midfielder said: “Myself and Steven were able to travel down to watch Kilmarnock and also saw them at the weekend. We worked during the day in what is usually the club’s Wednesday off as, obviously, there has been a lot to get done over the last few days.

“We thought it was a good opportunity to go and see Kilmarnock again, playing on a different surface, and playing at home. But we also thought it was a good chance to spend a bit of time together in the car, if that makes any sense.

“It is well-documented how close we are as colleagues but last night was just a great opportunity to chat and brainstorm – just football talk for the best part of seven hours. So the trip down to Kilmarnock was invaluable from a couple of different perspectives.”

“They’re on a good run and brimming with confidence so it’s up to us to find that formula.”