Ross County

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Manager Don Cowie says Ross County must "embrace" the occasion at Hampden when his side travel south to face Rangers.

The 41-year-old is relishing his first managerial experience at the national stadium but is keen to see a response from his team after their shock League Cup exit.

The Highlanders were dumped out at the last-16 stage on Saturday, losing to fourth-tier Spartans.

Despite that, Cowie says his squad retains belief that they can be a match for anyone, which will be put to the test in a "difficult match" against Rangers.

"We believe in ourselves against any team," the County boss added. "It's something different in terms of the game being at Hampden, which will be exciting for the group that's maybe never played there before.

"There will be that excitement and buzz of playing at a new venue and it's something we’ve got to go and embrace.

"It's about keeping [the home fans] as quiet as possible, making sure they don't get momentum and that real lift to get behind them.

"We will go with a game plan and try to execute it as best as we can. We understand the strengths of the team we're playing but at the same time need to look at how we can be a threat going forward."

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Ross County boss Don Cowie has been speaking to the media prior to Saturday's league fixture at Rangers.

Here are the key points:

• Cowie re-emphasises his disappointment at the defeat to fourth-tier Spartans and says his team "lacked quality and creativity".

• He acknowledged they need to improve going forward but says they still "believe in ourselves against any team".

• Cowie says the addition of Josh Nisbet will give County "real quality" and "be positive for the group".

• He knows it will be a difficult match at Hampden - which will be "exciting for the group that's never played there before" - but it's an opportunity "we've got to go and embrace".

• County will try and keep the Rangers fans "as quiet as possible" and make sure the team "don't get momentum".

• Max Sheaf and Rickie Lamie are still out injured but "everybody else is fit and raring to go".

Ross Morren
Fan writer

First of all, huge credit has to go to League 2 Spartans. They carried out their game-plan to perfection in the huge League Cup shock.

They were very compact defensively and nullified County’s attacking options while at the other end, Blair Henderson was a constant menace for Will Nightingale and Ryan Leak in the backline.

Henderson’s header just 20 seconds into the second half was a phenomenal finish and proved to be the difference between the two sides. The striker was unfortunate not to double his tally with another header but Ross Laidlaw pulled off an excellent point-blank save.

Spartans thoroughly deserved their place in the quarter-finals and have been rewarded with a tie away to Aberdeen.

From a County point of view, it was a hugely disappointing afternoon in the capital.

The Staggies dominated possession for large spells but failed to move the ball quickly enough and allowed the Spartans players to get back into their defensive shape.

On the rare occasion Don Cowie's side did speed up the tempo in their play, the creativity and quality required to create chances was severely lacking.

The reaction from the County players after a such a disappointing result has the potential to make or break a season even at this early stage.

Cowie will be keen to use Saturday’s upset as a way to galvanise his side going forward and not allow a performance or result like that happen again.

Things don’t get much easier for the Staggies as they return to Premiership action to face Rangers at Hampden this weekend.

The County fans travelling down the A9 will hope their side can draw inspiration from the last meeting between the sides, when Cowie guided us to a 3-2 victory in Dingwall.

Things can change very quickly in football. Having been on the wrong end of a shock result in Edinburgh, can County cause one themselves in Glasgow this weekend?

Ross Morren can be found at The County Corner, external

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Ross County "know they've let themselves down," according to manager Don Cowie, who demands a positive response to their League Cup embarrassment.

The Premiership side crashed out at the last 16 stage after going down 1-0 to League 2 team The Spartans and Cowie said "everyone is unhappy".

But the manager insists his team must start righting their wrongs from their flop against the Edinburgh-based part-timers when they return to action with a trip to Hampden in the league on Saturday to, followed by a home match against Aberdeen prior to the international break.

“The fans are rightly unhappy,” said the Staggies boss. “We’re all unhappy, we’re an honest group and football club and we know when we’ve let ourselves down.

“The fans came and supported us, as they always do, and like us they were thinking this was a great opportunity to progress in the cup.

“We can put that right now going into the league campaign by showing them that we’re hurting from this defeat.”

Henderson’s goal came just 20 seconds into the second half when he exquisitely headed home Jamie Dishington's fine cross.

“The frustration is we conceded so early after half-time,” added Cowie. “We spoke about it, about not giving them any encouragement.

“To concede within 30 seconds of the restart, that was really disappointing but we had more than enough time to bring the game back into our hands and we didn’t do enough. We huffed and puffed and that’s the biggest frustration.”

We asked you for your thoughts following Ross County's League Cup shock exit after defeat to The Spartans.

Here's what you had to say:

Graham: County were complacent, they were out played, out-run, out-thought and you'd have thought Spartans were the Premiership club. The players need to rethink their work ethic, inject more effort, faster attack and pace into their game and realise every win has to be fought for. Disappointed.

Alistair: Very embarrassing, but not entirely unexpected. Those players responsible for what I believe may be the worst result in the club’s history should hang their heads in shame. It is obviously going to be another very long season.

Ross County's six-game unbeaten run to start of the 2024/25 season comes to a end in devastating fashion.

Whether you were at the game or following from home, give us your opinions on today's unexpected Premier Sports Cup exit to League 2 side Spartans below.

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Ross County manager Don Cowie tells BBC Scotland: "Massive credit to Spartans. They thoroughly deserved to win the game. We let ourselves down badly today. We had a real opportunity to get into the quarter-final of the cup and we came up massively short.

"I wouldn't say there was not an effort. But there was certainly a lack of quality. When we got punished that soon after half-time, it gave Spartans a real lift and belief to go on and get the result.

"We did not deserve any equaliser. We huffed and puffed. A couple of shots from long-range and a couple of balls that flashed across goal, but not nearly enough.

"You always have to learn and reflect on a game. It just shows you have to be ready for every game. We've done really well at times this season and have received plaudits for it, and at the same time we now deserve all the criticism today."

Cam Wanstall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Ross County were blunt in attack and uninspiring all over as part-time Spartans put in a professional performance that will rightfully be remembered for a long time to come.

Spartans goalkeeper Heraghty - a 21-year-old who signed for the club on Friday - stood strong alongside his resilient backline, while a hard-working midfield five and Henderson up top ran their socks off to keep the Staggies at bay.

The Premiership side barely laid a glove on the hosts in the first 45 and were deservedly knocked out just seconds into the second period.

Brave and enduring defending from all in white and red kept out shellshocked County when they began to threaten in the closing stages.

The Spartans: Heraghty, K Watson, P Watson, Sonkur, Booth, Dishington, Craigen, Hunter, Whyte, Russell, Henderson.

Substitutes: Carswell, Inglis, Scott, Denholm, Lamont, Wylie, Walls, Scott, Whittaker.

Ross County: Laidlaw, Brown, Nightingale, Leak, Harmon, Randall, Denholm, Loturi, Chilvers, Hale, White.

Substitutes: Ross, Grieves, Telfer, Samuel, Brophy, MacLeod, Robesten, Reid.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Spartans were the shock troops of the Premier Sports Cup group stage, topping their section at the expense of Livingston after winning 1-0 away to the side just relegated from the top flight.

Doug Samuel's League 2 side have gone five unbeaten since an opening-day 3-0 home defeat by Dunfermline Athletic.

Ross County are themselves six without defeat, with four routine group-stage wins being following by two Premiership draws, as Don Cowie's team prepare for their first-ever meeting with the Edinburgh hosts in the last 16 on Saturday.

Ronan Hale continues to be the man to watch, with his stoppage-time equaliser at home to Dundee United being the striker's fourth goal in as many games since arriving from Cliftonville.

Read the Premier Sports Cup preview in full here.

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Alex Samuel says the atmosphere at Ross County is the best he has known during his three years at the club.

The Welsh forward, who suffered relegation on loan at Inverness in the second half of last season, is loving life under new manager Don Cowie since returning to Dingwall.

"I'm enjoying every minute of it, as a player, feeling involved and part of the team is great," said Samuel, 28.

"Even just coming in generally, the mood and the atmosphere of the place is great. Probably for the first time it's been my most enjoyable time at the club.

"I'm enjoying every day with the gaffer and staff and the atmosphere they create, it's really important and that allows people to thrive.

"It's also a really good squad of boys, it's a really good place to be at the moment."

Samuel insists there will be no complacency from County on Saturday when they visit League 2 Spartans for a place in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.

"A fantastic draw for us but it's not going to be easy – 3G pitch. The message from the gaffer is we do not take out foot off the gas," he added.

"We started really well in this competition. We have to make sure we go there and show them respect because they’ve come through a good group as well.

"We have to be on it, play our game and I’m sure if we do that we will do well."

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The draw for the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup will take place on Sunday after the Celtic v Hibs tie, which kicks off at 15:00 BST.

The draw will be shown live on Premier Sports following their coverage of the game from Parkhead.

All quarter-final ties due to be played on the weekend of September 21-22.

Ross County are close to signing Australia midfielder Josh Nisbet, 25, from Central Coast Mariners. (Press & Journal), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Don Cowie is determined to improve on Ross County's cup record as they look to avoid an upset against Spartans on Saturday.

The Staggies haven't made it beyond the quarter-final of a major knockout competition since lifting the League Cup in 2016 when Alex Schalk struck an iconic last-minute winner against Hibs at Hampden.

As County prepare to visit fourth-tier Spartans in the Premier Sports Cup last 16, manager Cowie said: "We want to do better in the cups. That goal is to get to Hampden.

"By winning on Saturday, that gives us a taste of what we can expect in the next round.

"Spartans are at this stage of the competition for a reason. They topped their group, so they’ve obviously done things really well.

"As we always do, we’ll dissect the opposition and analyse them to see how we can hurt them in a really important game for our football club."

Reminiscent of cup hero Schalk, new striker Ronan Hale has already endeared himself to the Dingwall faithful following his late equaliser last weekend against Dundee United.

"Ronan’s came in and he’s been a breath of fresh air," Cowie said.

"He’s really taken to the football club and embraced the new challenge. I thought he was really lively on Saturday and his performance merited a goal.

"We had to wait out a bit longer than we would have liked, but I’m delighted for him with his first Premiership goal."

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Ross County boss Don Cowie has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier Sports Cup second-round meeting with League 2 Spartans.

Here are the key points:

• Cowie wants his side to improve on cup performances: "The goal is to get to Hampden."

• The Spartans fixture is "challenging" and the Edinburgh club are in the last 16 "for a reason" after topping their group.

• Cowie rejected unnecessary rotation claims and will "go with a team that gives us a chance of winning".

• He described new striker Ronan Hale as a "breath of fresh air" following his stoppage-time equaliser versus Motherwell.

• George Robeston's late introduction on Saturday was a "reward" for the 18-year-old after injury-hit start to life in Dingwall.

• Neighbours Inverness CT "mean a lot" to Cowie and their situation is "really sad to see".

Ross Morren
Fan writer

Late drama in Dingwall is starting to become a regular occurrence between Ross County and Dundee United.

County fans have fond memories of late goals against United. Look no further than Jamie Lindsay’s 94th-minute equaliser to all but win County the Championship in May 2019.

In recent seasons, three of the last five matches between the sides at the Global Energy Stadium included late second half goals which have had a huge influence on results.

In 2021-22, Jack Baldwin’s 93rd-minute equaliser earned The Staggies a point in a 1-1 draw with United in November. On the final day of the same season, it would be United’s turn to score late as Nicky Clark’s 89th-minute winner would secure the three points for the away side.

On Saturday, Ronan Hale’s 95th-minute equaliser to earn County a well-deserved point is the latest occurrence of the late drama seemingly guaranteed between the sides.

It was the perfect definition of 'a match of two halves'. The Staggies dominated the first half and will have felt aggrieved not to be ahead at half-time. After United scored three minutes into the second half, they controlled the match and looked far more likely to grab the next goal before Alex Samuel capitalised on some slack defending and put the ball on a plate for Hale to score his first Premiership goal.

Hale was a constant threat throughout the match. His energy and movement while leading the line caused the United defence all sorts of problems, while his willingness to shoot from any distance or angle is a sign of the confidence he’s playing with at the moment.

There was a lot of questions during the summer about how The Staggies would cope with the loss of Simon Murray.

Murray’s 23 goals last season grabbed a lot of the headlines, but his work-rate and fight while leading the line in Dingwall was a huge reason he won the hearts of many County fans.

It’s still very early days in Hale’s County career, but it looks like he’s well on his way to earning the same kind of love from the fans.

Ross Morren can be found at the County Corner podcast, external

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Ronan Hale has hit the ground running at Ross County since arriving from Northern Irish side Cliftonville earlier this summer.

The 25-year-old now has four goals in four games for County and never stopped against Dundee United.

He got his reward with a 95th-minute equaliser and is duly named in my Team of the Week.

Watch highlights as Ross County draw with Dundee United in the Premiership.

Listen to the full episode here.

We asked for your thoughts after Ronan Hale's 95th-minute salvaged a point for Ross County against Dundee United on Saturday.

Here's what you had to say:

Anon: A really good performance. At this level we must take our penalties and if we had we would have taken all three points. We switched off for their goal allowing them to run with the ball when we should have closed them down. Excellent substitutions prove we have the depth to do well this season. The team is building cohesion, looking good.

Anon: We need to work on getting our set-piece delivery into better areas if we are to score more goals.