Ross County manager Malky Mackay knows importance of getting tactics right against Rangers at Ibrox as Ross Callachan and Jack Baldwin's suspensions mean potential debut for Inverness teenager Dylan Smith
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Malky Mackay knows that Ross County’s tactics have to be spot on to get a result at Rangers.
The Staggies head to Ibrox tomorrow afternoon looking to register their first ever win over the Glasgow giants, and there is reason for them to be optimistic.
Last season they scored more goals against Rangers than anyone else in the Premiership, and already this season they took Celtic to the final five minutes.
County know they will need to be solid at the back, and it is a different task facing them than most other teams in Scotland.
“You have to get your tactics correct, and it’s not until you’re actually in the moment and around them that you realise that,” Mackay reasoned.
“If you don’t, any team in this league can be hurt really badly. They might still be okay, but if you’re tactically not at your best you can be hurt badly like teams have been in the past.
“There’s a balance to making sure you get your tactics correct to negate the attributes of Rangers and Celtic, but at the same time you go to try and win the game.
“I’ve got to look at where we can hurt Rangers, so that’s an on-going process as well.”
Team news
County will go into the game without the services of Ross Callachan or Jack Baldwin after the club accepted retrospective two-match bans for both players after last weekend’s win over Kilmarnock.
Coupled with long-term injuries to Alex Samuel, William Akio and Connor Randall especially, opportunities will present themselves to other players to step up.
At Ibrox, that will include a new face on the bench, with Mackay confirming that 16-year-old Invernessian Dylan Smith will be named as a substitute.
"We will bring young Dylan Smith into the group, and he will be on the bench," Mackay explained.
"I'm delighted with him, he has just been selected for his second Scotland Under-17s camp. It's a real feather in his cap to be involved there, and it's good for the club and our academy as well.
"He's only young – two months ago he was 15 – but he is training with the first team now. He's a terrific young talent and prospect, and he's working hard with the first team right now so he will be on the bench on Saturday.
"I've got high hopes for him. It's testament to the hours that – despite Covid – our academy has put in. They are breathing life into that, and it's credit to the owner and Steven Ferguson."
