"There's plenty more to come"

Ross County’s all-time top appearance holder and all-time record goal scorer, Michael Gardyne, spoke to us this morning to give his assessment of his season so far with the Staggies.

The veteran winger has played 435 times for County and is enjoying his 13^th season in Dingwall:

“I’ve been here for a few years, I’ve been in this position before, in a way it’s nice to bring that experience to a few lads who are new to it. But, you know, you’ve got to love it, it’s your job, it’s football. You feel cheeky to yourself calling it a job and everyone wants to play at the highest level they can. We need to be doing everything we can to stay in this league this season.”

Now 35, Gardyne gave an insight into what he plans to do post-retirement, but he did reaffirm that he still has a few more years left in his legs:

“I’ve always been that guy; you know it’s always been football. I’d like to go into a bit of coaching, I’m looking to get my B license done but hopefully that’s not for another year or two. I’m still feeling good, fit, sharp and hopefully there’s plenty more to come on the pitch.”

‘Midge’ also explained the additional work he must put in to maintain peak performance as he gets older:

“I feel like you need to do more when you’re older. I always felt when you were younger you would maybe need to do less, but now I actually think you need to more in the gym, in training and with nutrition. I’m not doing any less than what I’ve done any previous years on the training pitch or in the gym, if anything, I’m doing a bit more.”

The winger is also glad to see some younger players making their way up the ranks in Dingwall. He is encouraged by the potential of the young players in the squad and insisted that nobody ever stops learning in football:

“I’m an old man now in footballing terms, it’s good to see a few young lads coming through. We’ve also got boys like Harry Paton that are still learning in their 20s, but you never stop learning, I’m still learning and I’m 35. It feels nice to be a part of as an older player, passing on my knowledge of the game, it’s good.”