Joe Coyle believes Invergordon are beginning to find their feet in the Highland League after a tough adjustment period.

Gary Campbell’s men had been used to winning practically every week in the North Caledonian League, which they won three times in-a-row before stepping up a tier in the summer.

Since then, it has been something of a mixed bag for them. Some highly encouraging results like their opening day draw away at Fraserburgh have been tempered by heavy defeats to the likes of Buckie Thistle, Banks o’ Dee, Brora Rangers and Huntly.

Injuries have affected Invergordon in some of those matches, and last time out they beat Rothes 2-0 with Coyle scoring both goals.

The teenager is optimistic, then, about what the rest of the campaign holds, both for him personally and Invergordon overall.

"We went through a bit of a rough patch a few weeks ago, but we're starting to find our form,” he said.

"We lost a couple of games, but we were playing a lot better, and we got a victory last weekend which was nice after putting in a good performance.

"I think it was a bit of a surprise for the boys at first, because the jump was a lot. We went from winning pretty comfortably most weeks to getting pumped sometimes, but that's what we need to adapt to.

"I think it's good for me to feel how it feels to be on the losing side too, it's all good experience.

"I am enjoying it. The boys are good with me, and we're starting to play better football, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

"I think we can still go up a lot of gears. Things have been better recently, but I think we can still play even better, so I'm looking forward to doing that."

Playing regularly in the Highland League has seen Coyle gain valuable experience, and that has translated into continued appearances for parent club Ross County in the KDM Evolution Trophy.

Being on a co-operation loan means the teenager has freedom to move between County and Invergordon as required, and he was handed a first competitive Staggies start against Forfar Athletic on Tuesday evening.

"I came in on Monday and they told me to be in the team meeting, and that’s where I found out I was going to start,” Coyle added.

"It felt good. It's obviously a little bit more pressure starting – usually when I've played I've come on when we're already winning – but that's what you want.

"It shows the manager has some trust in me, but I just have to keep working hard.

"I think it was a tough game, not just for me but for the team. To start with, I was maybe a little bit off it because I'm used to playing in the Highland League.

"It was a jump up, they're a good side. I grew into the game a little bit, but there's still lots of room for me to improve.

"It was a good experience, and I just need to keep working hard to see if I can get more appearances."