THE mood music around Rugby Park has changed significantly in the last three weeks. Three wins and two draws have seen to that, lifting them out of the drop zone while also carrying them into the last four of the Premier Sports Cup.
Even the loss of their first-choice strikers, Kyle Lafferty and Christian Doidge, has failed to put a dent in their new-found confidence.
In their absence on Saturday, 22-year-old Innes Cameron – rawer than steak tartare but a willing runner – made a fist of leading the line while talismanic winger Danny Armstrong predictably notched the goal which separated the sides with a fierce left-foot drive after Cameron had directed Alan Power’s punt into his path.
That took the 25-year-old’s tally to seven goals from 13 starts in what can now be described as a breakthrough season for the player signed from Raith Rovers 15 months ago.
“You could see how well Danny put his chance away,” said goalkeeper Zach Hemming.
“I’m sure he’s confident with the game time he’s been getting and the goals he’s been scoring. He won the sponsors’ Man of the Match award again so if we can keep the ball out at our end then he can put on a show at the other.
“He’s exactly the same person as he was last season. He was always confident, to be fair to him – always putting a shift in and working hard to get into the starting XI.
“Danny’s a real team player but he wasn’t given the chance to feature much last time out. Now, though, he’s come good - you can tell the manager has a lot of faith in him and Danny’s thriving off that on the pitch.
“You couldn’t leave him out at the moment – in fact, you could probably play him anywhere given the form he’s in. I’m sure the boys he’s running at when he’s heading in on goal are a bit nervous because everything’s going in for him at the minute – even free-kicks!
“Danny can go past defenders on either side because he’s two-footed after working really hard at training to make his right foot stronger. Now, because he can go both ways, defenders just don’t know what to do with him.”
The belief coursing through Armstrong is now shared by his team-mates, who are now targeting a victory against St Johnstone in Perth this weekend, an outcome which would lift them into ninth place and, depending on results elsewhere, possibly as high as seventh.
“Anything’s possible for us right now,” said Hemming, who made three superb saves to ensure victory here. “Our home form has been so good that, if we can add a few points from away matches, then who knows where we can go?
“With the run we’re on and the confidence that’s come from that, the boys are looking up rather than down – the feeling is that we can go anywhere.
“We also have a cup semi-final to look forward to in January. Hopefully, we can keep this run going up until then.
“I think the league’s really tight this time around. Teams are dropping points all over the place and we have a good run-in before the break for the World Cup – if we can keep winning those games then we’ll be high in the table, which is where we want to be.”
For County, this was a fourth defeat by a single goal and those fine margins are proving painful for the division’s lowest scorers.
“You can see little things clicking,” said defender Alex Iacovitti. “Everyone is gelling but we need to stick together on and off the pitch. It might take one chance to go in and someone can go on a run and into double figures.”
