Ross County

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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This result is a reminder to County that they still have work to do in order to keep themselves clear of trouble.

Their form of late – particularly away from home – has been excellent, and has rightly had fans dreaming of the top six.

For all of that, though, they remain worryingly close to the relegation play-off spot.

You do get a sense they will be fine, and they have shown enough in recent times to suggest that they have enough quality to banish any concerns.

But until they have the points in the bag to ensure that is the case, County will have to tread carefully over the next few weeks.

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• St Johnstone are unbeaten in five league meetings with Ross County, winning three of those (D2), which is as many as their previous 18 games against the Staggies in the Scottish Premiership beforehand (W3 D10 L5).

• Ross County lost 3-0 away to St Johnstone in October this season, but have never suffered successive away defeats to the Saints in the top fight before.

• St Johnstone have won just one of their last nine midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) games in the Scottish Premiership (D4 L4), a 2-0 win at Aberdeen in February 2024.

• Ross County have won four of their last five away league games (L1), as many as their previous 41 beforehand (W4 D11 L26).

• St Johnstone's Nicky Clark has scored nine goals against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership, the joint-most any player has against the Staggies in the top-fight (Kris Boyd also nine).

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St Johnstone hope to have Benji Kimpioka (illness) and Victor Griffith (ankle) back soon. They remain without long-term absentees Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles).

Ross County welcome back Zac Ashworth after injury, but Michee Efete (knee), Ryan Leak (Achilles), Alex Samuel (thigh) and Will Nightingale (knee) are set to remain sidelined.

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Ross County's stunning away form has given them "real belief" as they look to gatecrash the Premiership top six, says manager Don Cowie.

County are within two points of sixth-place St Mirren after back-to-back wins before Wednesday night's trip to face St Johnstone.

"First and foremost, I believe St Johnstone are a really good team, a dangerous team, we've seen that already this season when we've played against them," said Cowie.

"On our hand, we're in good form, our away form has been excellent, we've won four of our last five games away from Dingwall so we go into it with real belief.

"But we know that we're going to have to perform really well to come away with three points.

"It's really important, you can see there's a confidence about the group right now, it's about trying to maintain that and keep things going.

"The performance levels have been really consistent but as we know in football, you don't have much time to look back on that, we've got another game Wednesday night and that's our full focus now."

Daldeep Kaur
BBC Sport Scotland

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Don Cowie has been speaking to the media before Ross County's trip to face St Johnstone on Wednesday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Cowie was "delighted" with how County came back from conceding an early goal to beat Dundee 3-1 and says "the response was excellent".

• On scoring three goals in their last two games: "There's a confidence about the group right now, it's about trying to maintain that and keep things going."

• The County boss is not expecting an easy game against bottom club St Johnstone and says they are "a good, dangerous team" but insists the Staggies are intent on extending their "excellent" away form to continue the "real belief and confidence within the group".

• Cowie says County are "an improving team" and after losing key players in the summer "sometimes you need to be patient, it takes time".

• He adds: "Now you can see a group of players that are very comfortable in this environment playing for our club and really enjoying their football. That's a real key, there's a lot of individuals playing with a lot of freedom."

Ross Morren
Fan writer

The 3-1 win against Dundee was the perfect example of the progress Ross County have made this season.

The Staggies have picked up nine points out of nine against Dundee and scored eight goals. Last term they only picked up a single point and failed to net in the sides' three meetings.

Earlier this season, if the Staggies suffered an early setback in a match it could have unsettled them. However, when Simon Murray fired Dundee ahead in the fourth minute against his former club, the reaction from County was outstanding.

The hosts took control and pinned Dundee back in their own half, with Kieran Phillips heading his first goal for the club. Following his move from Huddersfield in January, Phillips has quickly gelled into the attack alongside Ronan Hale and Noah Chilvers.

Akil Wright then scored his latest goal of the season contender with an outrageous scissor kick to fire the Staggies ahead. Wright, who netted a spectacular strike against Aberdeen last month, has been outstanding and will be a very strong candidate for County's player of the season.

The attacking trio of Phillips, Hale and Chilvers showed how dangerous they can be as all three combined for County's third goal, scored by Chilvers. It's the second week in a row the front three have played a key part in the build-up to a goal.

County are now within two points of the top six and five clear of Dundee in 11th. If we can end this week with a strong haul of points from matches against St Johnstone and Kilmarnock, the dream of a top-six finish might just start to look like reality.

Ross Morren can be found at The County Corner, external

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Ross County continue their climb away from danger with a solid victory over Dundee and they've got two players in my Team of the Week.

Noah Chilvers had a superb all round performance and notched the third goal to put the icing on his 24th birthday cake.

George Harman excelled on the left flank, supplying two goals as County stormed to an important home win.

Watch the Sportscene panel discuss Ross County's two goals in their first home win since November.

Watch highlights as Ross County win 3-1 against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Ross County's 3-1 win against Dundee.

Here's what some of you said:

Calum: Brilliant performance. County teams in the past may have let their heads drop after Dundee's goal but we battled back and got a deserved win. Akil Wright is playing like a prime Cafu!

Jim: Another very good team performance. Every player was better than their opponent. After giving Simon Murray too much time and space early, we never gave them a sniff until added time when they were already beaten. Some great football early in the second half took the game completely away from Dundee. Wright and Noah Chilvers continue to perform at a high level.

Murray: After losing an early goal to our favourite player last season we recovered well and fully deserved our victory in the end. Hopefully looking upwards now. Come on the Staggies.

Ali: Good team performance. Back three were really solid - Wright, George Harmon, Connor Randall and Chilvers were very good. Pleased to see Kieran Phillips break his duck with a goal and assist. Unfortunately the lads can't sit on their laurels with critical games against St Johnstone and Kilmarnock in the next few days. Well done lads, keep up the good work.

Alan: A fully deserved win, County dominated Dundee. Plenty of candidates for man of the match in the home team which is an indicator of how the game played out. Special mention to Wright who has been an absolute find and has an eye for the spectacular!

Raj: We look a much more dangerous team when we play the play on the deck, Dundee were comfortable all first half with long balls. Cracking five minutes after the half to put the game to bed.

Angus: They are doing really well, one win or three draws, get them out of the relegation places! From 11th to seventh in a short amount of time - wow!

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• Ross County have won after conceding the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 26 October 2024 against Kilmarnock.

• Ross County have won 10 points from losing positions in the Premiership this season, only Dundee United (11) and Kilmarnock (12) have recovered more.

• Ross County have scored eight goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, only Celtic (13) and Aberdeen (9) have scored more in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee have lost 20 points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Dundee have lost their last four games in the Premiership, their last joint longest losing streak was from 28 April 2024 to 14 May 2024.

• The Dee have conceded 25 first-half goals in 27 games, more than any other in the Premiership this season.

• Simon Murray has scored nine goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Dundee player.

• Dundee have conceded 11 goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, no team has conceded more in the Premiership this season.

Ross County fans, were you at Global Energy Stadium to watch your team's first home win since November? We want your views on the Staggies' performance. Have your say here., external

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On his 24th birthday, Noah Chilvers was an imperious performer in County ranks. Never hurried in possession, his close control and distribution were key tenets of the home side's long-awaited Dingwall triumph, and he landed a telling blow with a cute first-time finish for his side's third goal.

George Harmon, too, impressed on the left flank, with two of his excellent deliveries leading to goals, and a third narrowly missed by fellow wing-back Akil Wright, another goalscorer and stand-out for Don Cowie's men.

Simon Murray, as ever, ploughed a deep furrow up front for Dundee and Josh Mulligan was a menace with his penetrative runs and crosses from the right.

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County have proven incisive on the counter-attack of late - sinking Motherwell 3-0 last weekend with just 31% possession - and while they enjoyed much more ball, the theme continued.

The technical attributes of Noah Chilvers, and the industrious work of wing-backs George Harmon and Akil Wright, came to the fore again when they swaggered downfield.

The quality of Harmon's crossing is exceptional, his diagonal from the right arrowing on to Kacper Lopata's head; another wonderful ball from the opposite touchline nearly allowed Wright to convert; before the wide men did link up decisively for the latter's goal.

This was a win of great importance given their long wait for a home victory, and the congested nature of the Premiership table, and one they saw out with minimal fuss.

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Billy Koumetio (ankle) and Scott Fraser (groin) remain out for Dundee.

Ross County boss Don Cowie expects to be selecting from an unchanged squad, with Michee Efete (knee), Ryan Leak (Achilles), Alex Samuel (thigh) and Will Nightingale (knee) set to remain sidelined.

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Don Cowie says the current Ross County squad is looking stronger than ever as they try to move up the table and away from a relegation battle.

The Staggies are 10th in the Scottish Premiership, two points above 11th-placed Dundee and within two points of St Mirren in sixth after winning four and losing only two of their eight league matches.

County eased past Motherwell last weekend, scoring three unanswered goals and looked threatening throughout.

"I would say it's probably the strongest the squad's looked since the start of the season," Cowie said.

"I think on Saturday you see the real strength and depth that we've got, really good options to come on when we demand people to put a real effort and shift in on the pitch.

"You're looking and thinking 'we've got really good options to freshen things up' - that was clear to see on Saturday. The squad is in a really good place and I'm really happy with how it's looking right now."

County have the chance to move five points clear of the bottom two when they host Dundee on Saturday.

He added: "They'll be disappointed with the results they've had recently, but they are still a team who finished in the top six last year, and had a fantastic season with a very good manager.

"They'll see it as a real opportunity in terms of where we both are in the league.

"They know if they can win the game they go above us and that will be a big incentive for them. But we're in a really good place and we're looking forward to it."

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• Ross County have won both of their two previous league games against Dundee in 2024-25, only in 2021-22 have the Staggies ever won three in a row against the Dee in the top flight.

• Four of Dundee's last five wins over Ross County in the Scottish Premiership have come away from home. Indeed, since the start of 2016-17, against no other side have they won more away matches in the competition (also 4 v Livingston).

• Ross County have failed to win each of their last five home league games (D2 L3), last going longer without a home win in the Scottish Premiership in January 2021 (10 games).

• Dundee are currently enduring a three-game losing run in the Scottish Premiership. Only once since their promotion in 2023 have they lost more in a row in the competition, a run of four from April to May last year.

• Ronan Hale has scored eight goals for Ross County in the Scottish Premiership this season. The only players to score as many or more in their debut top-flight campaign with the Staggies are Richard Brittain (9 in 2012-13), Melvin de Leeuw (9 in 2013-14), and Liam Boyce (10 in 2014-15).

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Connor Randall insists Ross County are not getting "too carried away" after their win against Motherwell at the weekend which took them to within two points of the top six.

The Highland side host Dundee on Saturday, who, despite being only two points worse off than County, sit second-bottom, as is the incredibly tight compact of the division.

Due to it being "so tight," the County captain assured their full focus is on the task on the pitch, not the table.

"We just focus on us as, we've done all season and that's what we'll continue to do," the Englishman told BBC Scotland.

"With Saturday being our first focus looking to put in a good performance, pick up the points and that's how we'll go week by week."

Randall was one of two names on the scoresheet at the weekend, as the skipper produced his first goal of the season. A "nice way to end the game" for him personally, he said, and a bonus when "you can chip in".

And with seven games remaining before the Premiership splits, those three goals and three points could prove crucial if the Staggies are to avoid the relegation danger spot – a position they have held at the end of the previous two terms.

But the 29-year-old cautions that they are far from safe.

"It gives you confidence," he added. "Off the back of a good performance and good result you go into Saturday confident, but you've got to back that up, you know that's how tight it is in this league.

"With the closeness in the table every game is tough.

"You can't just have one good result and not perform the next week. It matters more if we don't back it up and get a good result on Saturday, so that's what we're looking to do."

Manager Don Cowie believes Ross County's squad is the healthiest it has been so far this season. (Press & Journal), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Amy MacBeath
BBC Sport Scotland

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Ross County manager Don Cowie was delighted with his birthday present, as his County side moved themselves to within two points of the Premiership top six.

The Staggies made it four away wins from five as they trounced Motherwell 3-0 at Fir Park, on the day of Cowie's 42nd birthday.

"I asked the boys prior to the [Motherwell] game 'could you get me three points for my birthday'", joked the gaffer, "and happy that they duly obliged".

The improved away run has also seen the Dingwall club take full points from trips to Dundee, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

That's in stark contrast to their 15-month spell without an away win, which finally ended on Boxing Day - Cowie's Christmas gift from his team, perhaps.

The former midfielder believes "that real togetherness" and "right character" has got the Ross-shire men through those "challenging times".

In their last eight Premiership outings, County have now only lost to Celtic and Rangers, albeit heavily, and drawn with Hearts and Hibernian.

"Four wins out of five on the road, that's great credit to the players and the staff in terms of going to really difficult venues and coming away with maximum points," Cowie said.

"We needed to do that. It's had a really big impact on where we are in the league now. It's about building on that and keeping that momentum going."

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Ross County manager Don Cowie has been speaking to BBC Scotland before their home Scottish Premiership match against Dundee on Saturday.

Here are the key points he made:

• Last Saturday's 3-0 result over Motherwell was an "important win" for the Dingwall side who find themselves a little further from relegation danger and within grasp of the top six, albeit alongside several other Premiership sides.

• Finally getting on the scoresheet was a special moment for captain Connor Randall, who Cowie says "maybe goes a bit unnoticed in terms of what he brings on the pitch," but whose contribution is "certainly appreciated".

• Despite a difficult personal spell for Ronan Hale, Cowie is delighted at the progress the Northern Irishman has made going from part-time football to making an impact for the Highland side with four goals in his last three games. If he keeps it up Cowie says "I'm sure international recognition will come".

• The team spirit shown his side is the "bedrock and the foundation" of Ross County and Cowie believes his players have shown the "right character through challenging times", especially away from home.

• Saturday's home game against Dundee is "very important" and an opportunity to build on recent form and "keep the momentum going".

• Cowie adds Dundee are a "very good team" who earned their top-six finish last year, and is under no illusions about the threat they pose despite their "challenging period recently".

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Ross County midfielder Charlie Telfer has joined Hamilton Accies on loan for the remainder of the season.

Telfer, 29, made 12 appearances for County after joining from Airdrieonians in the summer but only three of them were starts.

On one of his seven league appearances for County, in a 3-0 loss to St Johnstone, he was sent off after just three minutes when he came on as a 75th minute substitute.

He is now set for fifth spell in the Championship, having also plied his trade at Dundee United, Livingston, Greenock Morton.

Ross Morren
Fan writer

Don Cowie's 42nd birthday was one to remember as his Ross County side cruised to a 3-0 victory against Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday.

A brace from Ronan Hale and Connor Randall's first goal of the season handed the manager the perfect birthday present as The Staggies were excellent from start to finish.

Their shape out of possession nullified any attacking threat that Motherwell posed throughout the 90, and when County won the ball back, they broke quickly through the front three of Noah Chilvers, Kieran Phillips and Hale.

The striker's second goal of the day was the perfect example of County's game-plan.

Jonathan Tomkinson was alert to intercept a loose pass and carried the ball into midfield, poked the ball to through to Chilvers, who spotted Hale's run through the heart of Motherwell's defence, and found him with a perfectly weighted pass for the striker to slot the ball into the bottom corner with an excellent finish.

After a run of only one goal in fifteen matches, Hale now has four goals in his last three. Following a good run of form at the start of the season, County fans will hope their number nine will continue this hot streak for the remainder of the season.

Saturday's victory was County's fourth victory from their last five away matches. Considering this was a side that only ended their fifteen-month drought without an away win at the end of 2024, it's been quite an incredible turnaround from The Staggies.

Focus now shifts onto a return to home comforts as County welcome Dundee to the Global Energy Stadium on Saturday. After their victory at Fir Park, The Staggies leapfrogged Dundee who now occupy the dreaded play-off position.

If Don Cowie's side can continue their 100% record against Dundee this season and pick up another three points on Saturday, it could move them into the top six.

Ross Morren can be found at The County Corner, external