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Ross County’s staff and players today kicked off life in a bio-secure bubble as they returned to training in unprecedented times.

With the Covid-19 pandemic still limiting contact, the Staggies’ squad resumed training under a strict non-contact regime of social-distancing, hygiene and testing.

County are one of only three premiership teams in Scotland to return this week – with Celtic and Rangers the other two – helped by the club’s new £35,000 swab testing equipment from South Korea.

It delivers positive or negative Covid-19 results within 20 minutes in batches of 15.

Even before players’ enter the stadium’s training environs they are temperature-checked for signs of illness, while their own private cars are used as changing rooms.

As these pictures show, County’s players were sweating it out and piling in the hard work despite restrictions limiting them to two-man training drills.

Stuart Kettlewell, now sole manager with Steven Ferguson embracing the chief executive’s job, spent time with all of his current 21-man squad as he strives to ensure they are in the best possible shape for the season ahead.

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