Ross County midfielder Harry Paton has promised they will learn from their mistakes and make sure Celtic know they are in a game on Sunday.
County boss Stuart Kettlewell accused his players of lacking spirit and heart during an “unacceptable” 3-1 defeat against a Kilmarnock side playing with 10 men for 82 minutes.
Kettlewell’s men now face a Celtic side reeling from another heavy defeat by Sparta Prague and in dire need of a performance to appease their increasingly disgruntled fans.
But Paton has vowed to give the Betfred Cup holders a game in Sunday’s second-round contest in Glasgow.
“We went over all the bad points in the game and the boys all know it wasn’t good enough,” the Canadian midfielder said.
“We have just got to reflect on it and work hard and bounce back.
“That’s the baseline of each game, you have got to have that desire. It’s a competitive football game.
“That’s where we should start and after that, that’s we can get our passing and our chance to create. But the baseline has to be the desire.
“We are obviously not the favourites but we are definitely going to give them a game. We will compete and give it a go.”
County have been missing a number of experienced players in recent weeks and Paton admits he and others need to show leadership skills in their absence.
“For me personally I think that’s a big part of my game I need to get into,” the 22-year-old said.
“I think this year especially I have been getting a lot better at that and I know for a fact that part of my game is being a leader and getting the team going.
“Obviously we were a young team at the weekend but that shouldn’t have affected the game.”
