County had finished 10th in each of their two seasons back in the top flight but Mackay quickly set imprinting his own mark, overhauling the squad with a dozen signings arriving last summer.
A Covid-19 outbreak then hindered his preparations for the new season and two forfeited ties meant County’s League Cup campaign was over before it had begun.
The Premiership kick-off brought further turbulence. After 10 league games County were winless and anchored to the foot of the table, four points adrift of Dundee.
Another grim survival fight looked assured. Despite flickering signs of life – one defeat in six – they remained bottom until beating Dundee on 11 December.
Momentum gradually grew and, come the turn of the year, County clicked spectacularly. Their 22-point haul from 14 games in 2022 is outdone only by the top three.
And a top-six place was secured in dramatic style when Joseph Hungbo’s late penalty earned victory at Aberdeen to catapult Mackay’s men from seventh to fifth.
Hungbo, the 22-year-old Watford winger, has proved a shrewd loan acquisition in Mackay’s entertaining and attack-minded County side. Winger Regan Charles-Cook, having netted twice last term, has metamorphosed into the Premiership’s 13-goal top scorer.
County throw caution to the wind – they have netted 45 in 34 games, with only Hearts and the Old Firm scoring more. At the other end, only bottom club Dundee have conceded more than County’s 54.
The risk and reward has paid off. And with fourth and fifth place earning entry to Europa Conference League qualifying, the prospect of a first-ever foray into continental competition offers a tantalising incentive for the remaining four games.
