Ross County boss Malky Mackay feels responsibility over pressure before play-off

Malky Mackay feels responsibility rather than pressure as he strives to keep Ross County in the cinch Premiership.

The Staggies finished 11th in the table and will face Championship side Partick Thistle in the first leg of their play-off tie at Firhill on Thursday night, with the return game in Dingwall on Sunday.

Asked if he felt the pressure of the task ahead, County boss Mackay told Sky Sports Scotland: “Not pressure, responsibility.

“I have had responsibility since day one when I took over the job.

“I have a responsibility to the people of the Highlands, to Ross County, the owner, chief executive, my staff – but that is something that every football manager has every time he puts pen to paper at a football club.

“You get everything from me because you have given me the chances to become your football manager and I have a responsibility to make sure I do everything to the best of the football club which is certainly what I have done throughout my whole career.

“So I have a massive responsibility but that is what football managers have to do.

“That’s something that’s part of being a manager rather than a coach. So pressure? No. Responsibility? Absolutely.”

Mackay will bank on Ross County’s Premiership experience when trying to curtail free-scoring Thistle, who have notched 16 goals over the course of their last four play-off ties and who beat Ayr United 8-0 on aggregate in the semi-final clash.

He said: “We put Partick Thistle into the same process as when we look at every other team.

“We look at their strengths and weaknesses. We look at where they can hurt the opposition and where the opposition can hurt them and we have done that.

“So that just goes into the same preparation we would do for every other team, bearing in mind we have played against the 11 Premiership teams three or four times this season.

“So we have played a lot of good teams this season who have big threats at the top level and we will take Partick Thistle just as seriously as we would take the rest.”