MALKY MACKAY, the Ross County manager, had hoped for a warm weather training camp in January but will settle instead for a trip to Edinburgh.

Covid restrictions mean that rather than Spain it will be Oriam as Ross County look to get their heads ready for the latter half of the season as they fight for their top flight survival.

“We were supposed to go to Spain for a week. I had the training camp lined up and it looked terrific and everything was fine,” said Mackay. “And then all this happened and all the Premiership chairman decided to cancel the trips. 

“That was the first thing and then the next thing was all the dates got moved. There were players who had time off and were going away to Tenerife or Spain or wherever, they had to cancel that. So it’s fluid. 

“So as soon as the league said Sunday’s game would happen and the next two wouldn’t everyone decided to give them this week off with their families. Next week we’ll do something. I spoke to people at Oriam and at the hotel I know, and we have Oriam for three or four days. 

“We have a hotel in Edinburgh and we’ll give them a few days kicking about Edinburgh. 

“There is still another ten days before our next game after that so we’ll go back up the road and do our serious work up in Inverness. 

“And hopefully by that time the pitches have thawed and the snow has gone. 

“It will test everyone again and then you throw this new strain of Covid into the situation and it’s going to be an interesting time for everyone. 

“We’re probably in even more uncharted territory in terms of the disease, it looks like we’re back into empty stadiums again, which is a blow.”