Welcome back to Dingwall.

After storming out of the Second Division at the first time of asking, Ross County now step into season three with a single, crystal-clear objective: don’t get relegated. It’s not glamorous, but it’s honest work, and if we’re to keep this challenge aligned with the club’s real-life rise through the leagues, simply holding our own in the First Division will do just fine. There’s optimism in the air, a little trepidation too, and the unmistakable feeling that surviving this season might be every bit as satisfying as last year’s promotion — if a touch more stressful.

And with the ink barely dry on our First Division fixture list, Julian Broddle has packed his bags and wandered off into the free-transfer wilderness. He refused every contract we slid across the table — apparently Dingwall’s charms weren’t quite enough — and so, under the iron law of CM2 expiry dates, he’s gone for nothing. It’s hardly ideal to lose experience just as we step up a level, but we’ll dust ourselves off, wish him well, and pretend this was all part of the long-term squad refresh we definitely had planned.

Pat Nevin has hung up his boots at 35, slipping quietly into retirement and leaving us a little lighter on experience, if not entirely surprised.

Billy Herd has also retired at 33 — a versatile SW/MC on paper, though in practice he barely troubled the teamsheet. A quiet departure, and one we’ll cope with just fine.

A bit of Scottish know-how joins the ranks as Billy McKinlay signs on — 29 caps, tidy stats across the board, and exactly the kind of calm midfield presence we’ll need in the First Division.

Against all expectation, the veterans have mostly decided to give it one more spin — Bannon at 41, Gillespie at 39, McMinn at 36, Steven at 35, even Ross1 at 34. The dressing room’s practically a reunion tour, but if they’re staying, we may as well make the most of it. So, with the old guard holding firm, it’s time to splash some cash — and remarkably, Manchester United’s John Curtis has actually agreed to come north. £1.4 million is a record outlay for us, and while he might have a “big club release clause” burning a hole in his contract, we’ll enjoy him while he’s here.

Another youngster arrives from Old Trafford as Alex Notman joins on loan — a handy boost before we dive into a different kind of challenge altogether. The Coca-Cola Cup draw has handed us Celtic away, our first real swing at the Biggest Boys, even if it won’t count for the league challenge. Still, a proper measure of where we stand.

And so it begins — our first crack at Division 1, with Motherwell, Dundee and St Mirren all waiting to greet us. New names, tougher tests, and a quick reminder that this league won’t give us an inch.

Here’s our opening-day XI, with Billy “the 30-year-old kid” McKinlay on the bench and Eamonn Bannon — now entering his 22nd senior season — still steering things from midfield. Up top, I’m genuinely excited to see what Connelly and Abou can produce together as we take our first steps in Division 1.

A youthful back line and a veteran midfield proved a fine mix as we opened with a thumping 4–0 win. Connelly was at it again — how he ever dropped to Division 3 is beyond me — and while Hamilton may struggle this season, you can only beat what’s in front of you. A dream start.

The best thing — and in this case, the worst — about this game is that it always finds a new way to stun you. I have never seen anything like this: John Curtis lasted a single match. One clean sheet, one tidy performance, and suddenly half the Premier League is camped on the front lawn. Blackburn win the race, snaffling him for 40% of what I paid less than three weeks ago. Chairman Roy is beside himself, threatening to sack me, sue the tribunal panel, and possibly take legal action against gravity itself. All I can do now is hope Rodney Elliott, included in the deal, can settle quickly. Meanwhile Jack Walker is almost certainly doubled over laughing somewhere.

With Roy still fuming over the Curtis fiasco, I dip into the loan market for some Bannon insurance — no way am I spending actual money just yet. Nearly 8,000 fans pack into Victoria Park for a glimpse of how we stack up against the real royalty of Scottish football. Anderson’s early red leaves them battling for an hour with ten men, but Celtic eventually ease away to a comfortable win. A fair reminder that, for all our progress, there’s still a gap to bridge.

We swat aside lower league opposition in the other cup, with Billy the Kid scoring a debut goal.

A real test on the road, but we edge past a fiery Dundee side to keep our league start rolling. The win comes at a price, though, with both Bannon and Abou hobbling off — a reminder that Division 1 isn’t just tougher, it’s rougher too.

A midweek phone call to Wenger sees us land a highly rated 16-year-old from Arsenal, and with Festus sidelined he’s thrown straight in. Some introduction: swapping North London for a league debut in the Highlands before he’s even old enough to vote. Imagine that.

Gower joins the fun as we edge out second-placed Ayr, Connelly doing the business yet again. That makes three league wins and, incredibly, we’re now looking down on the rest from the top of the table.

A lively one at home to Airdrie: Connelly delivers his customary early goal, but from there it unravels a bit — an equaliser, a red card for Ross1, and Adams carried off late on. A point gained in the end, but not without damage.

Connelly just keeps doing it! This time it’s 2^nd placed Motherwell sent packing in our third straight home fixture…

We left Livingston behind in Division 2, but they return the favour by dumping us out of the cup. To add insult to injury, our stand-in left-back limps off — only starting because the first-choice is already out — and the veteran midfield is dragged through 120 pointless minutes. A bruising night all round.

A perfect pick-me-up to end the week as we put five past a shell-shocked Morton, Abou and Connelly running riot. A fine way to wash away the cup disappointment.

Another injury to our already cursed left flank, but that’s a problem for next week. For now, we sit proudly at the top of Division 1, daring to wonder — just a little — whether a third straight promotion might be more than a daydream.

Up the Ross!