ROSS County boss Derek Adams is running the rule of former Blackburn Rovers defender Jonathan Bateson in a bid to strengthen the Staggies defence.
The 22-year-old travelled north on Monday to kick-off a week-long trial and impressed in the 1-1 friendly draw at Division One side Raith Rovers just 24 hours later.
With Gary Miller joining SPL rivals St Johnstone and Scott Morrison leaving Victoria Park, Adams is determined to add two more defenders and Bateson, who was released by Macclesfield Town this summer, could fit the bill.
The manager told the North Star: "Jonathan has come in and will be with us for a period of time. It was good for him to get 90 minutes on Tuesday as he only arrived the night before.
"We know we need to add a couple of defenders because we are short in that area. We will see Jonathan in action again and wait and see how he does, as well as keep looking at other players, to help strengthen at the back. We will see how things progress at the weekend."
The match at Kirkcaldy was County's third pre-season tussle in six days.
They began their preparations for their historic first term in the top-flight with a 3-1 win at Highland League Brora Rangers last Wednesday and followed that up with a 1-0 victory at Turriff United on Saturday thanks to a goal from Colin McMenamin.
On Tuesday, Sam Morrow grabbed his second goal in three games to give watching Motherwell boss Stuart McCall something to ponder before he brings his side to Dingwall for their SPL opener on August 4.
He will face competition for an SPL starting berth from former Hibs man Kurtis Byrne, who netted a hat-trick in County's 5-2 win over Highland League side Lossie, also played on Tuesday night.
Adams said: "Sam Morrow and Kurtis Byrne are goal scorers, and we have got a number of them in the squad. Kurtis is a young boy who has done well and he got a hat-trick this week. Steven Craig, Gary Glen and Colin McMenamin are all pushing very hard for a starting position, so we have a number of scoring options.
"It's great to have that problem. We have a big squad and it is a good squad, and I was happy to give a number of the players a full 90 minutes in the two games on Tuesday night.
"Good performances and results in any game give the players a boost before the season starts."
On Tuesday, Sam Morrow's goal came after clever build-up play from Iain Vigurs. Rovers struck back, though, when Brian Graham levelled for a share of the spoils.
The manager said: "The game at Raith was competitive, and a real work out on a difficult surface. I want to mix it up this weekend and give some more players some game time and the team will be different from the ones that played on Tuesday."
County face Clach at Grant Street, Inverness, on Saturday before visiting Nairn County on Tuesday night.
