Celtic Park doesn’t hold particularly fond memories for the managerial duo of Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson.
The County pair had only managed two games with the Staggies before taking the daunting trip to the East End of Glasgow for match number three. This was back in March 2018, when Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops were laying waste to everything and everyone around them.
Predictably, County were lambs to the slaughter. Moussa Dembele, Stuart Armstrong, and Tom Rogic all slotted. But before the latter two goals, Andrew Davies was sent off for County after shot-stopper Aaron McCarey had to come off injured.
It was a nightmare experience for Kettlewell in particular. He’s been speaking to the Press and Journal about it, and has encouraged better discipline from his players.
“We can get lost in these things. All the preparation in the world can be no guarantee. The last time we went down to play Celtic myself and Steven were only a couple of games in after taking charge of the club.
“Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. We lost our goalkeeper early in the game. We conceded a penalty. Andrew Davies was sent off. There are so many elements out of your control.
“We’ve just got to look for that discipline from our players and we’re going to have to rely on a little bit of luck along the way as well. There’s no dressing that up. Every manager going there will say the same. It’s a challenge to meet head on and we have to enjoy it.”
Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson deserve immense praise
It’s well-acknowledged just how difficult it is to gain promotion at the first attempt. The likes of Terry Butcher, John Hughes, and Alan Archibald are all proven managers who have failed to do so.
However, for Kettlewell and Ferguson, it was a breeze last season. County romped to the Championship title with six points to spare, and were constantly leading bigger-spending rivals Dundee United throughout the course of the campaign.
They’ve now come back up to the Premiership with a recognisable spine as well as some fresh youthful flair. The likes of Michael Gardyne, Ross Draper, and Billy McKay are proven at this level. But the performances of Josh Mullin and Ross Stewart have certainly caught the eye.
So far, County have won three of their first eight games and are unbeaten in their last four matches. It’s not bad going for a team freshly promoted. They come to Parkhead as confident as they can be, and Celtic can’t afford to view them as a new side finding their feet in this league.
They have a squad of players who are veterans at this level. There’s been no adaption period necessary, and that’s down to the superb work done by Kettlewell and Ferguson in retaining key players.
Hopefully, we can reopen old wounds with another powerful display against County on Saturday. But regardless of what the score is, the Staggies’ refreshing managerial duo have done a sensational job.
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