It’s onwards and upwards as Ross County's Marcus Fraser fancies climb
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MARCUS Fraser has put his injury hell behind him and he’s only looking up and forward at Ross County.
The former Scotland under-21 cap has endured four months out with a shoulder injury and has battled back – via the Development team – to first-team football by impressing in the weekend’s 0-0 Scottish Premiership draw away to Rangers.
Manager Jim McIntyre handed him a start in the club’s first trip to Ibrox, with Erik Cikos dropping to the bench.
Now Fraser wants to cement his place in the side and help County earn victories to climb back within the top six.
He explained: "I’ve had a few games with the Development squad which has been good, then the manager put me in on Saturday.
"It’s really given me a confidence boost, and to get the 90 minutes with a good performance from the boys. I’m really happy with that.
"It was massive, and hopefully we can build on that now and get a few more clean sheets by defending as a team.
"It’s not only the back four that defended well on Saturday, it was the full team. Everyone was pressing from the front. It would have been good for the manager to see that as well."
McIntyre has no shortage of options at the back and 22-year-old Fraser knows that is healthy for the Dingwall club overall.
He said: "Competition is what you need to keep you on your toes all the time. There’s good players there and everyone knows that. There’s only 11 shirts and to get one of them you need to be on top of your game and playing well.
"Obviously I got the call on Saturday so hopefully I can stay in the team. It’s up to me to prove what I can do."
County head to second-placed Hearts on Saturday looking to get the win to take them several placed up the league, much like Aberdeen’s 3-1 victory at Dundee achieved for them on Sunday in an ultra-tight division.
Fraser stressed: "It just shows if you get one win you can shoot up a good few places. It’s still early in the season so you’re still looking off to a good start.
"I’d say we’ve made a relatively decent start, but we can always do better and that’s what we’re looking to do on Saturday."
Looking ahead to the weekend’s trip to Tynecastle, the full-back said: "It’s another great ground to play in. Hearts always bring a good crowd, which is what you’re wanting to do.
"Hopefully on Saturday, when it comes, we can put on another good solid display. If we defend from the front we’ve always got a chance."
