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Ross County boss Jim McIntyre praises hat-trick hero Liam Boyce

Ross County boss Jim McIntyre and striker Liam Boyce
Image: Jim McIntyre: Ross County boss pleased for Liam Boyce

Ross County boss Jim McIntyre believes Liam Boyce is reaping rewards for his hard work, after the Irishman scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over St Mirren.

The victory means County are safe from automatic relegation from the Scottish Premiership, and have widened the gap to six points over Motherwell in second bottom spot.

County are the in-form team in the league, and their recent run has greatly impressed McIntyre.

"Boyce has done fantastically well, this current run has brought him up to speed, he deserves all the credit and you can see the rewards that he can produce,” McIntyre said.

"The team's form overall has even surprised me, it’s all down to players. We've got a group of players that are desperate to do well, the additions in January have been excellent and we remain focused on the job in hand.

"It’s great that we're definitely safe from automatic relegation, but there is still so much work that needs to be done so that we don't finish in 11th place.

"The five remaining games are like cup finals. Motherwell and Patrick Thistle have all been in good form lately, showing that they're up for the fight as well but we've given ourselves a great chance of staying up.

"We'll keep our feet on the floor until the job is done."

St Mirren counterpart Gary Teale is not giving up the chase to catch Motherwell in the playoff position, but he concedes the odds are against his team surviving in the top division.

He said: "(It is) a big ask to stay up, we'll never throw in the towel but being realistic with the kind of form that we're in it's going to be a tall order, especially with no real consistency in our play.

"As the manager I feel extremely low and disappointed. The goals we've conceded tonight have been very soft and that has been the story all season. Giving away soft goals just knocks the stuffing out of us."

Teale lost his two centre-backs either side of half-time, first Marc McAusland went off with a knee injury and then after the interval Viktor Genev was dismissed after bringing down Boyce when he was last man in the St Mirren defence.

"Losing our two centre halves was tough, first to lose Marc to injury and then Viktor for a red card,” Teale said.

“I've not seen the incident, there were a lot of close calls throughout the game but on that particular incident I can't really comment on it."

Teale remained optimistic on his own future, stating that he has made plans already for the close season and intends to bring in some of the youth team, should relegation be confirmed.

He said: "With the situation that we're in, we now have an opportunity to play some of the younger boys coming through the academy. It gives them a bit of experience and perhaps that's the freshness that this side needs."

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