Ross County’s Jay Henderson focuses on the positives after Staggies come from behind to earn a point against Ayr United

Jay Henderson bagged an important equaliser for Tony Docherty’s side at Somerset Park and then insisted they need to replicate their second-half display across the full 90 minutes.

Ross County are still winless in the Championship after their third draw in five matches, though Docherty was pleased at his team’s reaction following an abject first half showing.

The Staggies made the worst possible start, conceding inside two minutes.

Dylan Watret’s cross was allowed to travel across the six-yard box, and the ball eventually found Ethan Walker who blasted into the net.

Ayr passed up a number of chances to extend their advantage, and they were punished for their lack of cutting edge when Henderson ghosted in at the back-post and tapped home in the 48th minute.

There were chances at both ends as both teams searched for a winner, but in the end they had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Henderson featured 47 times for the Honest Men during his loan spell last season, finding the net on 14 occasions.

“It would have been better with three but we’ll take the point,” Henderson said.

“Somerset Park is always a tough place to go – the wind wasn’t great in the first half and I don’t think we dealt with that.

“I think Ayr were the better team in the first half. We had to be honest with ourselves at half-time, it wasn’t good enough.

“We showed at the start of the second half what we’ve got in the tank – we just need to show that more often.

“There’s some positives but we need to look at ourselves too and what we can do better.”

The Staggies gaffer described his team as a “work in progress” following their Jekyll and Hyde performance.

They could have completed an impressive turnaround when substitute Jamie Lindsay found space inside the area, only for his low shot to be kept out by the legs of David Mitchell in the Ayr goal.

Staggies will come good under new management team

Henderson believes that Docherty and his assistant Callum Davidson have full buy-in from the players, and he is now targeting a run of results to climb the Championship table.

“The new management team is just in, and we’re learning how to play under them. Hopefully we can build on it over the next couple of weeks,” he added.

“They’ve got so much experience in the game and there’s loads to learn for everybody.

“In the coming weeks, hopefully we can put a stamp on games and pick up that win which we all need.

“Momentum is so important in football. We’re trying to get that winning feeling and then keep it going.

“It’s a tough league – we need to keep our heads down and keep working hard.”

Having spent a year with Scott Brown’s side last season, the grim conditions came as little surprise to the 23-year-old forward.

Playing against the wind in the opening 45, the visitors endured a torrid time as they struggled badly to cope with their surroundings.

The Dingwall outfit were much improved after the break, though Henderson knows there will be plenty of similar afternoons over the course of the campaign.

He added: “It’s Scotland we’re playing in so it won’t be sun cream and 30 degrees all the time.

“It’s the same where we are – you just need to deal with it and play within it. It’s not really an excuse.

“We showed in the second half that we can but unfortunately we couldn’t get the winning goal.”

County continue their search for a first league win since March when they host Queen’s Park at the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday.

[Source: Press and Journal]