4/10
LEAGUE: 7th, 40pts (2012-13 - 5th - 53pts)
SCOTTISH CUP: Fourth round
LEAGUE CUP: Second round
MOST USED FIRST XI: Mark Brown, Brian McLean, Scott Boyd, Yann Songo'o, Ben Gordon, Richard Brittain, Stuart Kettlewell, Rocco Quinn, Graham Carey, Melvin De Leeuw, Jordan Slew
OVERVIEW: Any expectation of a second successive top six finish was always going to be optimistic given the number of key players who left Dingwall last summer, but County's season-long dogfight to avoid the promotion/relegation playoff slot came as a surprise to many. A poor first half of the season was mainly down to many of the new signings failing to impress, but Derek Adams' choice of tactics (a back five?!) at times didn't help. Thankfully, a plethora of New Year reinforcements provided a much needed spark, but the team remained inconsistent until the close of the campaign. Seventh place sounds decent, but such were the fine margins that County would have finished eleventh if they had lost their last two matches, instead of winning both.
HIGH POINTS: I was present for the January victory over Dundee United, where Filip Kiss scored an absolute peach and County attacked with a style and penetration that was rarely seen otherwise during the season. Thankfully I wasn't present when they upset the form book with a New Year win in Inverness, their first away win of the season.
LOW POINTS: The Boxing Day loss to Hibs at home - I haven't seen a top flight side so inept since Gretna's dying days. Within a week half of a new starting lineup had been brought in. Being knocked out of both cups at the first attempt was a disappointment, with the defeat to Stranraer in the League Cup a particular embarrassment.
STAR MAN: I did consult John Maxwell on this - he insisted that, even though he started only half the league games, Dutchman Melvin De Leeuw was the obvious pick. Ostensibly a left winger, De Leeuw proved far more effective when deployed through the middle, just off a lone striker. His nine goals made him the team's top scorer.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Er...um...er...aside from loanee Yann Songo'o, only one player under 21 played for County this season - forward Steven Ross, who finished the campaign at Brora on loan and may not even get a contract for next season. So it'll have to be Songo'o, even though the cultured central defender's future is likely to be back at parent club Blackburn.
WASTE OF SPACE: How Roy McGregor wangled a hundred grand out of Czechs Slovan Liberec for Kevin Luckassen is beyond me; the Dutch striker wasn't just inept, but also lazy, yet he got plenty of games simply because Adams was devoid of other options.
THE BOSS: Adams' stock took a bit of a hit this season, though he has built up enough credit at County that there was no question of him being punted. To be fair he had to make big changes to the playing squad and it's not that much of a shock that they took time to gel. But he needs to make better transfer moves this summer to avoid a repeat of 2012-13. He could also do with improving his relationship with the media; too often he comes across as a petulant moaner. In fairness, he didn't exactly do the dying swan act when Jamie Hamill flattened him, when he could have made a real meal of it.
PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON: With the right signings - and most importantly a 15 goal a season striker - a return to the upper half of the table is a reasonable aim. Of course, it could just as easily go the other way. The arrival of Joe Cardle could mean a change in the attacking play, given that Adams hasn't really deployed a winger like him in previous seasons. The gaps left by departing loan players such as Cikos, Songo'o, Kiss, Tidser and Slew need filled, preferably with players who might stay for a few years rather than a few months. A new keeper will be brought in to compete with Mark Brown.
FIRST TEAMERS DEFINITELY LEAVING: Erik Cikos (end of loan), Alex Cooper, Michael Fraser, Gary Glen, Filip Kiss (end of loan), Evangelos Oikonomou, Jordan Slew (end of loan), Yann Songo'o (end of loan), Michael Tidser (end of loan)
L.
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