Samuel banks on his know-how rescuing County

ALEX SAMUEL has seen both sides of the coin — the last day of the season great escape and the crushing heartache of falling at the final hurdle.

The Ross County striker is hoping to use those contrasting experiences to help the team that stood by him through a year of injury hell stay in the Premiership.

The 27-year-old Welshman, a devout Christian, needed to draw on every ounce of that faith during 12 months out with anterior cruciate ligament damage.

The injury came after an indifferent start to his Dingwall career and County could easily have quietly discarded him. Another crossroads came after his recovery and return to full fitness in January this year. Samuel (right) discussed a loan spell away to gain match fitness, but convinced manager Malky Mackay he was worth retaining for the relegation fight.

That decision and single-minded desire was justified when Samuel, on as a sub, headed the clincher in a crucial 2-0 win over Livingston in Dingwall earlier this month.

He was superb and unlucky not to score a fourth for County at 3-2 ahead in Wednesday’s draw with St Johnstone in the Highlands. Now, though, full focus is on grasping the win County need at Kilmarnock. He will draw on experiences of last-day survival in England’s League Two at Newport County, while on loan from Swansea, in 2017. He also stores less joyous memories of suffering the drop from the Championship on the final day in 2021 at Wycombe. Asked what it would mean to help keep County in the top flight, Samuel said: ‘It would be massive. When I was coming back from injury around January time, that was my goal.

‘I could have gone out on loan and got more game time, but I genuinely felt that I could make a difference to the team. That’s what I told the gaffer and he has given me the chance. That’s brilliant, all I can ask for.

‘It will mean everything to this club, to the fans, to the community to stay up. Being in the Premiership is a huge thing for the Highlands and we want to keep that going.

‘I’m hopeful and positive that we’ll be coming away with the win on Sunday.’