Ross County

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Former St Mirren striker Rory Loy suggests Ross County can take confidence from how close all the bottom half sides are in the Scottish Premiership.

County, who were beaten 2-1 by St Mirren at the weekend, are second bottom and only one point ahead of St Johnstone.

But, Don Cowie's men are only two points behind Hearts above them and only three behind Killie and Hibs above that.

"If you're in that position in the league then there's got to be some concern," Loy told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"They might not say it outwardly but what will give them faith is it is so tight in there.

"You look at Hibs, they've had a good run of five games and they find themselves looking up the way and everyone's kind of positive about them.

"No disrespect to Ross County but I wouldn't have said they possess the quality and strength and depth that the likes of Hibs do.

"Most people think Hearts will get it right eventually, so you look around them and I just don't see Kilmarnock, Dundee, these types of clubs being in any bother.

"The last thing Ross County and Don Cowie will want is for it to become a two-horse shootout for 12th and 11th in terms of the league table.

"He'll believe in his squad, that they've got the strength to get away from that, but I do think that the league will really take shape come these next four or five games and I do expect Ross County to be in a relegation scrap, I've got to be honest."

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We asked for your views on Ross County's 2-1 defeat at home to 10-man St Mirren.

Here's what some of you said:

John: The team worked hard, however they lacked cohesion. Everyone was playing their own game. Victor Loturi on the bench again. He is very adept at breaking up midfield play, Connor Randall as a centre-back. Jordan White running around to no effect. The team looked disjointed. I hope that Don Cowie has a plan for January.

Ron: Terrible conditions, terrible game. We didn't deserve to take anything out of it. Hard to pick out any positives. Failure to counter the physical element of St Mirren's game was worrying. Inability to adapt to the conditions was inexcusable, goal kick after goal kick kicked long and straight out of play! Really?! Hearts game next week is critical.

Ronny: We are in deep, deep trouble. We've found ourselves in decent positions in the last two games and have bottled both of them. These were two winnable games, and before yesterday I'd have said so are the next two. Now, Dundee and Hearts will be rubbing their hands because we are absolutely rotten all over the park at the moment. Desperate stuff.

Paul: Fantastic start to the second half. When Saints went down to 10 men, we seemed to run out of ideas. Saints were dangerous on the counter. We failed to make the extra man count. Slow, ponderous build-up that leads nowhere. We lack width and when the smallest guy on the pitch wins more headers than the target man striker, that sums up the County attack.

Calum: Negative formation kills us again. Against 10 men for most of the second half, yet looked second best throughout. The system or dare I say manager needs to change!

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• Ross County have lost their last four games in the Premiership, their last joint longest losing streak was from 3 February 2024 to 17 February 2024.

• Oisin Smyth scored his third goal in the Premiership this season, netting for the first time since 4 August against Hibernian.

• Ross County have conceded 12 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Hibernian (13) have conceded more in the Premiership this season.

• St Mirren have conceded six goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, only Motherwell (seven) have conceded more in the Premiership this season.

Oisin Smyth's 90th-minute free-kick gave 10-man St Mirren a vital Scottish Premiership victory against Ross County in a wet and wild day in Dingwall.

St Mirren stay sixth but move five points clear of Dundee, while County remain 10th after losing their last four Premiership games.

Were you at the game? Were County unlucky to lose?

Where did it go wrong against St Mirren and can County turn this losing run around?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Ross County manager Don Cowie told BBC Scotland: "It's a sore one to concede late and lose the game but at the same time, we take responsibility.

"We started the second half really well, get the equaliser and then St Mirren go down to 10 men. We did not take advantage of that, didn't deal with the conditions as well as them. It's a great free-kick that wins it for them but they deserved that overall.

"It's a massive opportunity missed. I was really frustrated and annoyed at half-time. We showed a really good reaction, but we did not build on that nearly enough. The keeper had no real saves to make in that period.

"I get that the conditions were tough and it was hard to play, but you've still got to do a lot better.

[On Eamonn Brophy penalty incident] "I think it's possibly a penalty. The defender doesn't do anything more than push Eamonn in the back. He makes contact. But at the same time, St Mirren could have had a penalty at the other end for a very similar scenario. The referee has deemed no penalty for both so maybe it's evened out."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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After losing their last three, County were reliant on their home form giving them a lift before Christmas yet, they rarely looked like winning this one.

Hampered by injuries to Eli Campbell and Alex Samuel, they also had to do without the unwell James Brown and the reshuffle did not work for Don Cowie's side.

That's now four losses in a row - although there are defeats by Rangers and Celtic among them - but it won't help the confidence as they gear up for another relegation battle.

They've got more problems up front. Ronan Hale, the usual dangerman, didn't threaten and that's now just 14 goals in 18 games, the lowest tally in the league.

They've also conceded 35 - only Kilmarnock have conceded as many.

Unable to score and unable to keep a clean sheet is not a recipe for staying up, and Cowie has a real job on his hands.

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Ross County pair Alex Samuel (thigh) and Eli Campbell (knee) are out with the injuries they sustained against Hibs last weekend, but Ricki Lamie and Max Sheaf are back in training and could come into contention. Will Nightingale (knee) is still out.

St Mirren skipper Mark O'Hara is out for four to six weeks with a recurring thigh problem. Alex Gogic returns from suspension while Toyosi Olusanya is banned after going through the disciplinary points threshold.

Charles Dunne remains out with a hamstring problem. Ellery Balcombe, Scott Tanser, Richard Taylor, Evan Mooney and Conor McMenamin will all be assessed.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Manager Don Cowie says beating St Mirren on Saturday can have a "huge effect" on Ross County's efforts to rise up a congested Premiership table.

Tenth-place County are just two points off the bottom and looking to end a run of three straight defeats.

However, if they can get back to winning ways in Dingwall the Staggies will move within three points of the Paisley side, who sit sixth.

"You can see the league table, you can see where we are in terms of not winning in the last three, but at the same time we move on from that and you have got to be positive and look forward," said Cowie.

"A victory on Saturday changes the league table, it can have a big impact and a huge effect in terms of how tight it is and that is what we will be striving for."

While County are well within touching distance of a number of the teams above them, Cowie was asked is about the character and fight his players will need to show in order to propel themselves away from danger.

He said: "I think those are the qualities you have to have when you play for Ross County, that is the challenge of the competitiveness of this league.

"We understand the challenges of what we are coming up against, both the stature of teams, the finances of other teams, so we have to roll our sleeves up, show character and be together."

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Ross County midfielder Jay Henderson has extended his loan at Ayr United until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old has netted nine times in 23 appearances for the Championship club.

County manager Don Cowie said: "Jay and I had a good conversation and agreed he is at an important stage of his development and playing regular football has been vital for him. We believe that continuing his loan at Ayr will maintain that."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Defender Kacper Lopata says it is "looking like a scrap" at the bottom of the Premiership, but insists Ross County have the fight and character to move up the table.

Tenth-place County are just two points off the bottom, with St Johnstone and Hearts below them.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's visit of St Mirren, Lopata said: "Every point is vital and it is looking like a scrap. It is just about who wants to roll their sleeves up and have a fight and I know our boys will for sure.

"Like the gaffer said after that game against Hibs, we will find out who has got the guts now to step up and I am sure our lads will.

"We are good, honest lads, hard workers. I don't think there is a better chance to do it than against St Mirren, that game itself is going to be a scrap, so what better way to do it?"

Despite taking an early lead at Hibs last time out, County ended up losing 3-1, and are looking get back to winning ways after a run of three straight defeats.

Lopata said: "I think we have thrown the game away and we should have put it to bed. We were really dominant in the first half and should have buried the game.

"But if we are going to do that I would rather do it now than when it is crunch time near the end of the season.

Lopata, 23, arrived in Dingwall during the summer on a season-long loan from English League One side Barnsley.

The former Poland youth international said: "I think it has been really good for me. I look back at my games, I think I am improving. I have still got more to give."

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• Ross County are unbeaten in four home league meetings with St Mirren (W3 D1), this after losing three in a row against the Buddies on home soil in the Scottish Premiership beforehand.

• Both of Ross County and St Mirren's last two Scottish Premiership meetings have been drawn, as many as their previous 17 beforehand.

• Ross County have lost their last three league games by an aggregate score of 11-1, conceding at least three goals each time. The last side to lose four in a row in the Scottish Premiership while conceding 3+ goals in each were Hamilton Academical in November 2020.

• St Mirren have won two of their last three away league games (L1), more than their previous 12 on the road beforehand (W1 D3 L8).

• 64% of St Mirren's Scottish Premiership goals this season have been scored in the first half of games (14/22), a league-high ratio. By contrast, 11 of the last 13 league goals the Buddies have conceded have been in the second half, including their last seven in a row.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Alex Samuel faces up to three months on the sidelines after suffering a "significant" thigh injury, Ross County manager Don Cowie has confirmed.

The striker, 29, went off midway through the second half of the weekend defeat to Hibernian and now has an anxious wait to discover whether he requires an operation.

"He had a scan yesterday and it has come back that there is significant damage in the thigh muscle," Cowie said.

"We don't know exactly the terms of the rehab for it. It could potentially be an operation, it could be normal management in terms of getting him back into playing again.

"We will see what the next opinion on that is, but it doesn't look good, the near future for Alex.

"The initial scans suggest it could be up to three months, potentially longer in terms of what the next action is of the recovery."

It's a huge blow for Samuel, who was out for almost a year with a knee injury earlier in his County career, but Cowie added it is imperative the group rally around him during this latest setback.

"He will be disappointed he can't build on an effective contribution in the last two games," the manager added.

"Now it is about us getting around him and getting him feeling good again.

"He has had a tough time, he had a cruciate injury in the last couple of years as well, it's not easy."

Defender Eli Campbell, who was also forced off injured at Easter Road, is expected to be back in a fortnight, but Cowie says the loss of two players this week shows the need for reinforcements in January.

"I think we are slightly imbalanced in terms of the squad, where the competition is within the squad, so you are always a couple of injuries away from looking light and that has been proved this week," he said.

"We lose two players and then once this window closes you don't have that opportunity, so we will be giving ourselves the best possible opportunity to have a strong squad going into the second half of the season."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Don Cowie has been speaking to the media before Ross County's game against St Mirren on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• The knee injury sustained by Eli Campbell at the weekend is not as bad as first feared, with the defender due back in the next couple of weeks.

• However, striker Alex Samuel could be out for up to three months after sustaining "significant damage in the thigh muscle" during the defeat at Hibs.

• With 10th-place County just two points off the bottom, the manager is keen to focus on the positives, adding that a win this weekend will move them within three points of St Mirren in sixth.

• Cowie insists his side have the character and fight needed, saying as a club they always "have to roll our sleeves up" against clubs of a bigger stature.

• The manager is expecting a tough game against a St Mirren side who "ask a lot of questions of you".

• On potential January transfer window business, he added: "We need to do stuff. I think we are slightly imbalanced in terms of the squad."

Ross Morren
Fan writer

For the first 49 minutes at Easter Road on Saturday, Ross County looked like they were well on their way to picking up their first Premiership away victory in 15 months.

Eli Campbell's first goal for the club set the tone for the first-half performance. For the following 25-30 minutes, they were excellent and really should have put the game beyond a lacklustre Hibs side.

County got into a lot of good positions in the final third but didn't show enough of a ruthless streak to put the game beyond Hibs.

With 10 seconds of the five minutes of additional time in the first half remaining, County had possession in their final third over towards the corner flag. If you're unable to create an opportunity in that moment, keep the ball and manage the game so you can get to half time at 1-0 ahead.

Instead, the ball was given away cheaply and Hibs broke up the park to equalise.

If the manner of the equaliser was hugely frustrating to concede, the two goals in the second half are on a whole other level.

The Staggies had a huge slice of luck when Jack Hamilton saved Nicky Cadden's penalty. They needed to recompose themselves and use that as a spark to kick on.

Instead, less than a minute later Ryan Leak needlessly hauled down Josh Campbell to hand Hibs another spot-kick. This time, Elie Youan scored and County found themselves 2-1 down.

Don Cowie's side started to pile on the pressure towards the end of the match and it looked like an equaliser might be on the cards. Those hopes quickly evaporated as James Brown's weak clearance was fired straight back him and he was outmuscled by Youan, who set up Josh Campbell to make it 3-1.

A combination of poor game management, lack of composure and woeful decision-making from the players cost County dearly on Saturday.

As a manager, you cannot account for your players making such costly mistakes. It must have been so frustrating for Cowie to witness his side unravel from such a promising position and performance.

Ross Morren can be found at The County Corner, external

Watch Sportscene analysis of Hibs' first goal during their 3-1 win against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

Watch Sportscene analysis of Hibs' two penalties in their 3-1 win against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your thoughts on Ross County's 3-1 defeat against Hibs.

Here's what you had to say:

Alistair: Our season will not be defined by results against the Old Firm, I keep hearing and reading. What about getting thrashed by the team that has been bottom of the league all season and couldn't beat their own grannies? Does that help define our season? Dross in, dross out, sorry young Master Don Cowie, this job has come about all too soon for you.

Rick: I don't get angry often at County, I am aware of our limitations, but that was infuriating! Amateur school football levels of defending and we are missing Ross Laidlaw, another season and another relegation battle in store.

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• Ross County have lost their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer losing streak was from 3rd February 2024 to 17th February 2024, a run of four games.

• Hibernian have won after conceding the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 24th May 2023 against Celtic (25 games without a win).

• Ross County have lost 10 points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, only Hibernian (16) have lost more.

• Elie Youan has now assisted three goals in eight appearances in the Premiership against Ross County.

Ross County manager Don Cowie questions the amount of first-half stoppage time time in his side's 3-1 Saturday defeat by Hibernian, during which Hibs scored. (Record), external

Hibernian's "character was definitely tested" against County, says head coach David Gray. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

Hibernian climbed off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership after coming from behind to beat Ross County in an action-packed Scottish Premiership encounter.

Elie Youan's second-half penalty put the hosts in front, just minutes after teammate Nicky Cadden had missed from the spot.

The sides had gone into half-time level after Dwight Gayle's flicked header cancelled out Eli Campbell's close-range opener.

As the visitors pushed for an equaliser of their own late on, Youan nudged Ross County defender James Brown off the ball before selflessly playing in Josh Campbell. The Hibs midfielder slotted home a first-time finish to make sure of victory.

In a match characterised by mistakes rather than moments of quality, it was Ross County's indiscipline that ultimately cost them and extended their long winless run in the league away from home.

David Gray's side are now eighth in the table, while County drop to ninth, with their last league win on the road back on 2 September 2023, a 1-0 victory at Kilmarnock.

County fans, were you at Easter Road or following along from home? Either way, we want your thoughts.

Have your say on the game., external