‘We showed we can go toe-to-toe with everybody’
Malky Mackay admits Ross County have no time to dwell on their latest sob story.
After the midweek stalemate at Dundee, County earned another point on the road from Fir Park.
But it felt much more like a sore defeat for the Staggies after coughing up a two-goal advantage.
The Dingwall bus is back on the road again for Tuesday’s test at Hibs.
And Mackay has implored his men to rid themselves of the negativity over this collapse in plenty time for Easter Road.
Mackay said: “Overall, it’s two points dropped, we’re disappointed at giving them a sniff back into it.
“To come here and score three and play the way we did was something I’m proud of.
“We will speak about it, we’ll be cold and clinical and responsible looking at the goals and how we can be better.
“The process starts on Sunday. There was a lot of emotion at the end but it’s a point each and we start the planning for Hibs on Sunday afternoon.
“I think we do about 1,000 miles to Dundee, to Motherwell and then to Hibs on Tuesday night.
“We need everyone to be mentally and physically ready, so we have to process this.
“I can’t have hard luck stories or feeling sorry for ourselves.
“But we’ve come here and we’ve been terrific and we showed we can go toe-to-toe with everybody. We’ve got more about us than we had last year.”
County dropped to 11th place and Mackay lamented the lack of a killer touch in front of goal in the early exchanges.
He said: “In the first half we showed a lot of bravery in playing the way we did.
“But we had three golden chances that we have to take.
They’d have changed the game.
“We should’ve scored with the first two, we have to take them.
“Brophy and Leak’s chances should’ve been goals. We weathered them after the restart then picked their pocket, scored two good ones and missed another reasonably easy chance.
“Then we cut our own throats. First, we have a free-kick wide right and within five seconds they’ve got a penalty. The second one is worse. Our player smashed the ball off another player and the boys put it in the net.
“That gives them a lifeline and when the ball goes into the box at the third one anything can happen.”