Ross County appoint John Hughes as manager

John Hughes has taken over the reins at Ross County

The Staggies sacked their manager in the immediate aftermath of a 2-0 defeat to relegation rivals Hamilton on Saturday.

Derek Adams, Tommy Wright and Hughes were all linked with the replacement role at the Global Energy Arena, and the club confirmed former Hibs, Falkirk and Hartlepool manager Hughes this morning.

Hughes’ last job in management was at Raith Rovers, who were relegated from the Championship during his short spell in Fife three years ago.

Prior to that he led County’s Highland rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle to the Scottish Cup in 2015, defeating former club Falkirk 2-1 at Hampden.

A short statement on the club website said: “Ross County FC can today announce the appointment of John Hughes as the clubs new Manager. John is a well-distinguished and well-known figure within the game and has very valuable experience in the Scottish Premiership.

“John will retain the services of the current coaching team.”

Reports elsewhere have also suggested County will offer Kettlewell a return to the club in a youth coaching capacity, according to the Scottish Sun.

The former midfielder assumed first-team duties in the close season, having shared the responsibilities with Steven Ferguson previously, who became chief executive. Together the duo led the club back to the Premiership but this season the Dingwall side has only taken 13 points from a possible 54 and are 12th in the SPFL Premiership table.

County travel to face Celtic on Wednesday night.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.