So much had been said and written about their rise through the leagues, their ambitious young manager, their connection with the community, and their gregarious, local-guy-made-good chairman that talk about the team and their prospects in their maiden Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign had seemed almost secondary. On Saturday against Motherwell they showed they can play a bit as well.
County are an unglamorous team with no obvious superstar but manager Derek Adams has put together a group who seem more than capable of holding their own in the top league. He has recruited shrewdly, often offering a second chance to players overlooked by other clubs, and instilled a philosophy that puts the needs of the collective before individuals.
Teamwork was evident in spades against Motherwell, the likes of Ross Tokely and Grant Munro throwing themselves into blocks and challenges to preserve their side's clean sheet.
It is foolish to extrapolate on the basis of one result – Dunfermline Athletic also drew their first game of last season 0-0 at home and were still relegated – but against the third best team in the country last season, County looked assured in possession, confident going forward and dominant in defence.
They did not create a lot of chances – their best opportunity came from a set play – and may struggle for goals, but should they continue to be as hard to break down then they will surely keep on accumulating points. After all, it was Dunfermline's porous defence, rather than a lack of goals, that was the biggest factor in their relegation.
There is a quiet confidence among the County group, however, that avoiding the drop need not be the extent of their ambitions.
"The aim is to stay up, of course, and if we are winning more games than we are losing then that will be brilliant," said Iain Vigurs, the County midfielder, one of five former Inverness Caledonian Thistle players to start. "We need to be realistic but we have a really good side. We need to be a stuffy team to beat while creating chances.
"This was a start. I think both teams were a bit rusty after pre-season and the sharpness is still to come. I think the boys will now be a little bit more confident with that first one out of the way and a point on the board."
Vigurs has been with County since 2009 and is well aware of the club's remarkable back story, climbing from the Highland League to the Premier League in 18 years.
"It's brilliant to see what the club has become," he added. "There have been massive strides in the time I've been here. There is a lovely stadium and the pitch is magnificent. It was a good experience and hopefully there are more to come.
"Sometimes you need to pinch yourself when you think of where Ross County are now. But the boys are taking it in their stride. We are going to enjoy this season."
This was a difficult fixture for Motherwell ahead of their Champions League return match against Panathinaikos on Wednesday night. Perhaps drained by their exertions in the first leg against the Greeks, they struggled to get into any real rhythm.
As they look to reprise their strong start from last season, an opening-day away draw would seem a decent result but striker Michael Higdon, who missed their best chance just before half-time, cut a discontented figure.
"I think it is two points dropped really," said the Englishman. "We should be beating Ross County when you look at the way we played last season.
"We want to do as well as we did last year. It is going to be hard but I think with Rangers not being in the league you have to really strive to get to the top end of the SPL."
