Ross County loanee Zac Ashworth leaning on past experience as Welsh youth international tries to help Staggies secure Premiership football for another season
For a 22-year-old, Zac Ashworth has already ticked off a lot of different experiences as a professional footballer.
Relegation battle and promotion bids, playing for his country at under-21 level and dealing with injuries, the Ross County loanee will be leaning on each and every single one of those things as he tries to help the Staggies remain in Scotland’s top flight.
This weekend’s first post-split fixtures sees County travel to Kilmarnock, knowing that results over the coming weeks will be crucial with just 11 points separating the entire bottom half.
It is a scenario that Ashworth, albeit south of the border, has been through before, and he knows that keeping a balanced approach is key to prevailing in the end.
“My first loan was at Burton Albion, and when I joined we were joint bottom of League One in January,” he recalled.
“That was my first taste of senior football, and we were staring at relegation, bottom of League One.
“The next season, I was at Bolton where the expectation was to get promoted. All season, we were in the top four and the pressure was on to win every game, so I've done both sides of the league.
“Internationally as well, I’ve been part of trying to qualify for the Euros, with crunch games where we have to get results – having to win and not lose.
“Hopefully those experiences I've had before put me in good stead going into the last five games here. Even looking ahead, the experience in these five games will hopefully put me in good stead for the rest of my career when it comes to crunch games and crunch times of the season.
“I’ve learned to not think about the bigger picture. It's easier said than done, but it's a game of football – we've all played hundreds of games of football in our life.
“It's about finding that balance in between understanding the importance of it and not treating it any differently. You can drive yourself insane worrying about what happens if we win or lose, and tie yourself up in knots before the game has even started.
“When you do step on the pitch, you understand the importance of what the game means. You're not leaving any stone unturned. You're doing everything you can to win the game.”
One thing that has been a new experience for Ashworth is the stop-start nature of the game in Scotland’s top flight. The Staggies playing every two weeks throughout March, when the Welsh youth international would have usually been playing every few days in England’s lower leagues.
That, as well as the level of scrutiny that comes with playing in the Scottish Premiership, has taken some getting used to.
“In England it's really full-on, but here we only played something like two games in March, which is just unheard of.
“If you're not in the team for that sort of period, all of a sudden, you don't play a game for three or four weeks. Back in England, if you miss a couple of games, it has probably been a week since you last played anyway.
“It has taken a little bit of getting used to. You definitely train more and for longer up here, because you have that break in between games.
“I have enjoyed it. There have been times where I've wanted to be on the pitch and not been, but I think every experience is a good experience if you make it that.
“I didn't really know what to expect coming to Scotland. I've obviously not been here before, but I've loved it.
“You don't realise how publicised the league is until you're in Scotland itself. In England, I think you get so carried away with how many different leagues there are, with different stories here, there and everywhere.
“Here, it's Scotland and only Scotland. I didn't realise how big the league was until I came here. I've really enjoyed it.”
Going into the closing stages of the Premiership season, Ashworth sees no reason why Ross County cannot pick up a few positive results and move well clear of any relegation danger.
“We’ve got five games left, and from what I’ve seen so far – why can't the target be to win five games?” Ashworth added.
“I think we shouldn't just be looking over our shoulder. It might seem that we just want to stay up and that's it.
“What's the point in playing the next five games if you don't want to win all five? There's an opportunity to finish seventh, eighth and anything else.
“There's an opportunity for us to win games and finish as high in the league as possible. It shouldn't just be about wanting to stay up. First and foremost that's the priority, but we need to aim as high as we can and see what happens."