New taste of success for Curran
Ross County manager Jim McIntyre believes a leaner frame has helped Craig Curran feed his hunger for goals.
The striker has netted three goals in County's opening three Ladbrokes Premiership games after going on a new diet to give him an extra edge.
The former Tranmere and Carlisle forward established a promising partnership with Liam Boyce after arriving in Dingwall in January and McIntyre has been delighted with his progress.
McIntyre, whose team host Ladbrokes Premiership leaders Hearts on Saturday, said: "He has started very well in front of goal. He and Liam have linked up well.
"I think Craig would be the first to acknowledge the part Liam plays.
"Craig has had a full pre-season under his belt which he didn't have last year. When he came we had to work on his fitness levels. When players get that pre-season it makes such a difference.
"He's also dropped a bit of muscle mass so he's leaner. He's a very, very strong boy but we felt he could do with bulking down a wee bit.
"He worked hard on that over the summer and it is obviously paying dividends."
Boyce has been intrigued by the part his strike partner's new eating habits have played in his goal glut.
"I was joking with him that it must be his diet because he is on a gluten-free diet or something," Boyce said. "It's probably that that has changed.
"But he is always in the right position and you just know that if you put the ball in there he will be there. Fair play to him because he has started the season unbelievably.
"I think we're the perfect match. He can work hard off the ball and when it comes up to him it sticks. I just feed off him, try to get on the ball in the hole and it seems to be working. We work hard off the ball as well and it gives the defence a rest."
County will assess Scott Boyd's neck injury and he is the only concern for McIntyre ahead of the game.
Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson insists his current side are still miles away from being able to match the exploits of the class of 2005-06.
The Jambos have carried on from last season's Championship title-winning feat by storming to the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership table following three straight victories.
It is the first time the Tynecastle outfit have occupied top spot since former boss George Burley and his side managed it a decade ago.
Neilson was part of that team and played an influential role as the Gorgie men won their first eight SPL games of the campaign.
But he claims the CVs of his youngsters and his former team-mates barely stand up to comparison.
"We are miles away from that team," said the former full-back. "That was a team which had a Champions League winner [Edgaras Jankauskas, with Porto] and a European Championship winner [Takis Fyssas, with Greece] in it.
"Just about every player in the squad was a full international. We've still got a long way to go to get near that.
"Record-wise, that team won the first eight games and stayed unbeaten for another four more. If we can emulate that then great, but we're still a long way off it.
"We're only three games into the season and you need to be realistic. We have still to play Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United and Ross County, all good teams. So we're not getting carried away."
Hearts striker Juanma should be fit to play his part. The Spaniard was left on the bench for Wednesday night's 2-0 win over Motherwell with a groin strain but is in contention to start this weekend.
Miguel Pallardo should only be kept out by an Achilles problem for another fortnight but forward Soufian El Hassnaoui is sidelined until November with a knee injury.
Source: PAR
