ANDREW Davies knows it is win-or-bust for Ross County today, but believes the desperate scenario may be liberating.
As play kicks off at McDiarmid Park, the Highland club will effectively be down and out at 0-0 but will have 90 minutes to salvage it.
Even a victory over resurgent St Johnstone wouldn’t be enough to claim the play-off lifeline if Partick Thistle win away to Dundee.
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Should the Maryhill club draw, though, a seventh County win of the Premiership campaign would be enough to sink Alan Archibald’s side and resurrect County’s hopes of securing a seventh top-flight season.
Davies, the County captain, has plenty to say about where it has all gone wrong in a horrible year for the club, but the post-mortem can wait for now with a pulse still detectable.
Davies said: “We are obviously still in with a fight. We are positive, and ready to go to try and get that result.
“We have got to win the game – that’s our main focus – and fingers crossed Dundee can do us a favour.
“We’ve just got to go and try to win the game, stay positive. If we play, and if we are firing, I think we can get a result. The other game won’t interest me until we do the business. It’s just all about trying to keep the boys focused.
“We need to be as positive as we can. We just have to make sure we win the game. Then, we will reflect after the game – and I think there’s a lot to be said. But there’s no time for that now. When the odds are stacked against you, you’ve got nothing to lose. You just go out there and play. When we perform – and we obviously haven’t done that anywhere near enough this year – we are a very good side. We’ve not had enough consistency, but if we actually turn up on Saturday we will get a result. I’m confident of that.
“And if we do, I am confident we will stay in this league after that.”
Davies has no doubts about Dundee’s commitment to getting a result at home to Partick Thistle – or St Johnstone’s against them.
With the two Tayside outfits safe and looking to the summer holidays, it would be easy to switch off but the 33-year-old Englishman stressed:
“As professional footballers, they will want to win their games.
“They will want to finish on a high before the summer. St Johnstone will be coming out to try and beat us, but you want them like that, you want that attitude.
“You don’t want to be going into the game thinking they will just roll over, because then you probably don’t approach it right. It’s going to be a tough game – it always is going there – but it’s one I think we can win.
“Equally, I don’t think Neil McCann will allow any slacking from his players. From what I’ve heard and know about him, he won’t allow that.
“It’s the final day – anything can happen. But we just need to concentrate on what we can do and make sure we win the game.
“It has been a frustrating season all the way through, a long season. We’ve got to focus on the game, and then, after the game, things will be said.
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“We know what needs to be done. I’m sure the players know how important it is for the people around the football club to stay in this league. Hopefully everyone is feeling like that.”
Meanwhile, St Johnstone’s Zander Clark has credited outgoing goalkeeper Alan Mannus with having a huge impact on his career.
Mannus is set to depart the Perthshire club this summer and will make his last appearance in the season finale at home to Ross County today after seven years at the club.
His exit from McDiarmid Park will leave the No.1 spot vacant, a position Clark is expected to fill having impressed at times in his 19 appearances this term, but the 25-year-old admits he will miss his team-mate.
“Al has been terrific with me ever since he came to the club,” Clark said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough in my time here that I have worked with some great goalkeepers, but more so with Alan. He came in at that stage of my career where starting to venture into playing first-team football was more of a possibility, and he has helped me massively.
“You feel every day you are learning something new and I can’t speak highly enough of how much he has done for me. It will be a massive loss, but next season if I am No.1 – and that might not be the case – I need to try and take on that role to be that person that they [younger players] can speak to whenever they need.”
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