Jay Henderson ready to contribute if called on during Ross County’s Premiership run-in – including ‘cup final’ away at St Johnstone
Ross County attacker Jay Henderson has labelled Wednesday night’s trip to St Johnstone a cup final for both clubs.
Just two points separate the clubs, who are both bidding to avoid a relegation play-off this season, meaning that the midweek clash at McDiarmid Park could prove decisive.
As the table stands, it is advantage County as they are slightly ahead of the Perth outfit.
Coming off the back of a disappointed 5-1 defeat to Motherwell on Saturday may not have been the preparation that the Staggies were hoping for.
Henderson, however, is confident they will be able to put that loss behind them ahead of a game of massive significance.
“It’s not the result that we were looking for,” Henderson admitted.
“Other results help us a wee bit, but we’re not looking for any favours from St Johnstone because we want to sort things out ourselves.
“The last 20 minutes wasn’t good enough from us, we should have done better. I think everyone will have been looking themselves in the mirror, but everyone will be looking forward to St Johnstone.
“The goals we lost are really poor, but we’re not going to dwell on it. We’ve basically got a cup final on Wednesday that will decide who goes where.
“We need to look forward instead of dwelling on Motherwell, and it’s still in our hands so we’ll take the game to St Johnstone and see how it goes.”
On a personal note, Henderson is desperate to prove that he can contribute to County’s safety bid.
The 22-year-old has only started one game across all competitions for the Staggies this season – against Edinburgh City in the League Cup group stage back in July.
He admits it has been a frustrating spell, but the former St Mirren man also acknowledges the need for patience and to keep developing his craft.
That said, if he is thrown into the mix between now and the end of the season, he is confident he can help County’s cause.
“It’s been a frustrating season for me, but you just need to keep your head down and trust what everyone behind the scenes is putting forward for me,” Henderson added.
“Every chance I’ll get, I will work hard for the team. I’m only 22, and everyone in football is eager to play in every game they can but sometimes you need to wait and look at the big picture.
“Malky (Mackay), Derek (Adams) and the gaffer now have all been good with me, so I’ve just had to keep my head down and work away.
“Hopefully next season, or even the back end of this season, it turns around for me. I’m there waiting.
“I’ve had to think about the game a wee bit more. I can’t just rely on managers playing with wide men, I need to be able to adapt to a central area.
“You learn from players like Yan (Dhanda) and Josh (Sims). They are similar to me stature-wise, so I watch them and see what they’re doing.
“The level they’ve played at is the level I’m aspiring to get to, so any wee tips I can get from them about the areas they play in or the way they pick up the ball to make time for themselves, it’s all helpful.
“I’ve been training hard, and I always believe in myself. If the gaffer throws me in, I believe I can impact the game and show what I can do.
“I know what I can do, but I haven’t been able to show it as much. I’m ready for whenever I need to be.”
