Ross County midfielder Michael Gardyne believes striker Liam Boyce's blistering start to the season is silencing the critics who claimed the he had lost his lethal form.
The Northern Irishman was a goalscoring sensation in the first half of last season, netting 17 times before the turn of the year.
But a hand injury suffered soon after ruled him out for a month and the 25-year-old struggled to rediscover his early-season form as he scored just three more goals after returning to action.

Boyce's dramatic drop in form ultimately cost him a place in the Northern Ireland squad for Euro 2016, with national team boss Michael O'Neill opting to take Wigan striker Will Grigg to France.


Boyce missed out on the Northern Ireland squad for Euro 2016

But five goals in his first three Ladbrokes Premiership games of the season for County have seen the striker win an international recall and Staggies team-mate Gardyne insists it is fully deserved.
The playmaker said: "Liam scored some nice goals against Inverness in the derby a couple of weeks back when he got his hat-trick.
"But it was also good to see him grabbing a couple that were typical striker's goals against Kilmarnock. It was just about him being in the right place at the right time.


Liam Boyce has made a flying start to the season

"He got a bit of stick at the back end of last season but he is again proving how good a player he is.
"It was also good to see him get his Northern Ireland place back, so it's exciting times for the club and Liam."
Boyce recorded just one goal against this Saturday's opponents Hamilton last term but that mattered little, as County won all three meetings between the sides.
Gardyne is confident about his side's chances against the Lanarkshire outfit this weekend.
He said: "Saturday is a massive game for us. If we can win it would mean we'd have nine points out of 12, which would be a great start to the season after losing the first game to Dundee.
"We had a good record against Accies last season. We played well down there and at home and managed to win all three games, so we're looking forward to it."
Gardyne was also quizzed about the test of playing on Astroturf at New Douglas Park.
"The astroturf doesn't bother us," he said. "We have it here at the club to train on and I'm sure we will be well prepared for Saturday."