Hiwula ready to confound critics?

Former Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell thinks present boss Malky Mackay and chairman Roy MacGregor will realise it will take a bit of time for their summer signings to gel.

Kettlewell watched the top-flight side struggle to a 1-0 group-stage win at home to League 1 side Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday.

"It was a pretty even game and, if I'm honest, Dunfermline had the better opportunities and shaded it on chances created," he told the analysis of County on BBC Scotland's Scottish Football Podcast.

"But, when you look at the Ross County starting XI, the front four, the three attacking midfielders and the main striker, are all new players, so it is going to take a bit of time to bed that in. Quite a bit of transfer business and these things don't happen overnight."

There were a flood of Doncaster Rovers supporters suggesting on social media that they were pleased to see the back of Jordy Hiwula after the striker was brought in to replace the goal threat lost after summer departures by Joseph Hungbo and Regan Charles-Cooke.

However, Kettlewell responded: "You could see some of the qualities these guys will bring in and maybe Jordy Hiwula was the pick of the bunch in terms of his hold-up play and the pace to play off the shoulder of defenders and he took his goal well.

"I think the biggest thing for Ross County is how do your replace the goals and assists of Joseph Hungbo? And obviously Regan Charles-Cooke was the stand-out player last season.

"They have invested a bit of money to maybe fish in a different pond from recent years and bringing in guys of a real good pedigree and there's two or three options in each position."