Ross County

Ross Morren
Fan writer

Ross County kicked off their 2024-25 Premiership campaign with a 0-0 draw against Motherwell at Fir Park.

The Staggies were far from their best during the ninety minutes in Lanarkshire, but showed a lot of grit and determination to travel back up the A9 with a point.

There were moments that could have seen Don Cowie’s side take all three points back to Dingwall, though.

Ronan Hale’s free kick forced a good save from Oxborough in the Motherwell goal, while Jordan White and Will Nightingale were on the end of good deliveries into the box but failed to guide their efforts on target.

At the other end of the park, Ross Laidlaw was in fine form when called upon. He showed great reflexes to keep out Ebiye’s effort from close range in the first half, but his save from Wilson’s volley from the edge of the box was absolutely outstanding.

Laidlaw is arguably the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premiership in recent years and has showed an impressive level of consistency compared to many Scottish goalkeeper which, in the eyes of many County fans, deserves recognition by a Scotland call-up.

Laidlaw’s saves helped County keep their first Premiership clean sheet under Cowie since he was appointed back in February on an interim basis.

It was also County’s first Premiership clean sheet in 2024, with their last also coming against Motherwell in a 3-0 win back in December 2023.

Don Cowie has been very vocal about his desire to improve his side’s away form going into the new campaign. Last season, lapses of concentration and giving away cheap goals meant The Staggies only managed to pick up nine points outside of Dingwall.

A clean sheet and a point away from home against a side that County conceded thirteen goals against across four matches last season is certainly a step in the right direction.

Surprisingly, a 0-0 draw on the opening day of the season could be a good omen a successful season ahead. On the two previous occasions that County have kicked off their top flight campaign with a 0-0 draw in seasons 2012-13 and 2021-22, they ended the season in the top six.

A sign of things to come?

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

Watch the best of the action from the opening-day stalemate at Fir Park. (Available to UK users only)

We asked for your views on Ross County's opening-day draw at Fir Park.

Here's what some of you said.

Les: What's not to like! We are joint top of the league.

Graham: A good performance and a well-earned point, but could have taken all three. The team look organised, are working for each other and creating chances. It was good to see players creating space and making themselves available. Allez Les Staggies.

Image source, SNS

Ross County manager Don Cowie told BBC Scotland: "It was a difficult game, every inch a first game of the season, a little erratic at times. Overall, delighted to come away with a point and a clean sheet.

"That's been the challenge going into the new season, we've not been good enough away from home, especially last year. Points are important, and clean sheets also, gives us a bit of confidence.

"The pleasing thing is we stuck together in a difficult game to make sure we got a point. Everyone put their body on the line. Can we play better? Absolutely. It's something we'll look to implement in the next couple of weeks because we've had a lot of new players come in. Some are behind schedule fitness wise.

"The way our club is, players settle in well in terms of environment, but sometimes it's about being on the grass and getting training into them."

What did you think of that one, Ross County fans? Happy with the point or do you think it should have been more?

Are you confident of a good season or do you think it might resemble the last couple?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

The shape of both sides - 3-5-2 - meant it was hard for either side to create much space, but it was certainly County who looked least likely to score.

The visitors struggled to get the ball down and play, looking a little timid when they got their foot on it. As a result, White and Hale up top barely had scraps to feed on.

That said, they battled well and Laidlaw kept them in the game, leaving them with the opportunity to steal all three points late on - but Will Nightingale blazed his chance over.

As usual, there has been a big turnover in the County squad over the summer. They need to gel quickly if they are to avoid another relegation-threatened season.

Image source, SNS

Ross Laidlaw. Three saves for County's stopper but it felt like more. His saves to deny Moses Ebiye and Ewan Wilson were absolutely fantastic, particularly the latter, which ensured his side kept a point.

He is capable of games in which he looks impossible to beat, he just needs to string them together consistently so that the Staggies don't bring in another keeper in January, as they have become wont to do.

Motherwell: Oxborough; O'Donnell, Casey, Gordon, Blaney, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Miller, Robinson, Ebiye.

Substitutes: Hegyi, Seddon, Balmer, Sparrow, Stamatelopoulos, McGinn, Callachan, Kaleta, Wells.

Ross County: Laidlaw; Brown, Leak, Wright, Nightingale, Harmon, Loturi, Randall, Grieves, Hale, White.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Chilvers, Denholm, Telfer, Efete, Samuel, Brophy, MacLeod, Reid.

Image source, SNS

Aidan Denholm said he didn't need any convincing to join Ross County on loan, despite breaking into the Hearts first team last season.

The 20-year-old joined Don Cowie's side for the upcoming campaign after Steven Naismith admitted his first-team opportunities might be more limited this year.

"It all happened very fast, but I’m buzzing to be here," the midfielder said. "Everyone I spoke to about the club has had really good things to say.

“I spoke to Yan Dhanda, Liam Boyce and Blair Spittal and all of them were like ‘if you get a chance to go to County, go for it’. They couldn’t speak highly enough of it."

The central-midfielder made 24 appearances for Hearts last season, mainly from the bench, despite initially being released at the end of the 2022-23 season.

"I didn’t really need convincing, it was just a case of looking for games because I knew the competition back at Hearts was going to be tough.

"Don’t get me wrong, I was ready to try and get in the team at Hearts but I think there were just one too many players ahead of me. When this came about, I spoke to Don and I spoke to Naisy [Steven Naismith] and everything seemed to be right about it.

"Me and Naisy have a great relationship, he’s brutally honest with me and I’m brutally honest with him. He told me he’d like to keep me but he didn’t want to keep me and hinder my development. He knows I want to be playing as much as I can."

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• This will be the third time that Motherwell and Ross County have faced on matchday one of a top-flight season, after 2012-13 (0-0 draw) and 2020-21 (1-0 Ross County win).

• Motherwell have won both of their last two league meetings with Ross County while scoring five goals each time.

• Motherwell have won just once in the last seven league seasons on matchday one (D2 L4), beating St. Mirren 1-0 in 2022-23.

• Ross County have lost four of the five previous occasions that they have played away from home on matchday one of a top-flight season, the only exception being a 2-1 win at Dundee in 2017-18.

• Ross County only won one of their 19 away league games last season (D6 L12), failing to win any of their last 17 on the road (D6 L11). The last side to go 18 consecutive away games without a win in the Scottish top flight were Livingston from September 2018 to August 2019.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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With the new Premiership season getting under way this weekend, BBC Sport Scotland have been taking a look at some new faces to keep an eye on.

Like his former strike partner at Cliftonville, Ben Wilson, who has scored six times in four games for Airdrieonians, Ronan Hale has quickly found his feet in Scottish football.

Those feet had big shoes to fill considering the departure to Dundee of Simon Murray, whose 23 goals last season did much to ensure Ross County avoided relegation.

However, 25-year-old Hale has found the net three times in his two outings so far, suggesting the Belfast-born former Republic of Ireland Under-21 cap can replicate the form that led to 22 goals in 31 appearances last season as Cliftonville won the Irish Cup and finished third in Northern Ireland's Premiership.

Read the rest of Clive's piece here.

Image source, Getty Images

Midfielder Noah Chilvers has joined Ross County on a three-year deal from English League Two side Colchester United.

The 23-year-old, who scored 23 goals in 172 league appearances for the Essex side, has moved north for an undisclosed fee.

Chilvers is County’s ninth signing of the summer.

"There was a lot of interest in Noah and we are absolutely delighted to secure his signature," County boss Don Cowie told the club’s website.

"Despite being only 23 he has amassed over 200 games in his career, and we believe he has the attributes to really excite our supporters."

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Connor Randall is the new captain of Ross County, with Jordan White his vice-captain, the club have announced.

Randall, 28, has made 117 appearances for County since joining in 2020, and has worn the captain's armband during this season's League Cup group stages.

He replaces Jack Baldwin in the role, who signed for Northampton Town earlier this summer.

Ross Morren
Fan writer

The 2023-24 Premiership season felt like an emotional rollercoaster to many Ross County fans, ending on a high as the club secured its top-flight status with victory in the play-offs for the second successive season.

With the 2024-25 Premiership looking to be the strongest it’s been in a number of years, how will the Staggies fare following a summer of transition in Dingwall?

First of all, Don Cowie heads into his first full season as a manager.

Cowie showed plenty of qualities when he was appointed to steady the ship following Derek Adams’ tumultuous 79-day reign.

He managed to turn Dingwall into a fortress with a run of form where County only lost one match in nine and picked up impressive wins against Hearts, Rangers and Hibernian respectively.

Cowie's summer transfer window got off to a tricky start with key players Jack Baldwin, Josh Sims, Yan Dhanda and Simon Murray all leaving the club, but the incomings so far are promising.

Will Nightingale has rejoined the club following impressive performances on loan last season, while Charlie Telfer, Ricki Lamie and Jack Hamilton have plenty of experience in Scottish football.

Akil Wright looks like an excellent addition to the heart of County’s defence, while Jack Grieves and Aidan Denholm have also joined on loan from Watford and Hearts respectively and will add more energy to midfield.

The signing that has excited County fans the most so far though is Ronan Hale. The striker scored 50 goals in 80 matches for Cliftonville, and already has three in two for the Staggies.

I think we’ll still see at least three or four more players arrive in Dingwall before the end of the transfer window. There’s still room in the squad for a couple of attacking midfielders following the departure of Dhanda and Sims, so I’d imagine this will be the next area of focus for County’s recruitment team.

Many pundits and fans of Scottish football have tipped County to be the side that finish bottom of the Premiership table this time around.

The first objective will be a 10th-place finish and ensuring survival for another season, but I think County will surprise a lot of people and have a much better season than many are predicting.

Predicted league finish: Eighth

Standout player: Ronan Hale

Game most looking forward to: A rare league match for County at Hampden when they face Rangers at the national stadium on the 24 August.

Ross Morren can be found on the County Corner podcast, external.

Josh Nisbet, the 25-year-old attacking midfielder twice capped by Australia, has an offer from Ross County on the table but is still considering his options amid interest from an unnamed second-tier Dutch club after leaving Central Coast Mariners. (FTBL), external

Jack Grieves, the 19-year-old attacking midfielder who has joined Ross County on loan, says Watford head coach Tom Cleverley was keen for him to experience regular first-team football to assist his development. (Press & Journal), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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After leaving Dundee before his pre-contract agreement could kick into life, Ricki Lamie says his Ross County move has provided him with much-needed "security" - although he's somewhat reluctant to call it that.

The centre-back spent last season on loan at Dens Park from Motherwell and signed a permanent deal there in February.

However, it was announced at the end of June that Lamie would not join Dundee and three days later he was confirmed as a County player.

On a whirlwind summer, the 30-year-old defender told Sky Sports, external: "I'd be lying if I said it didn't throw extra difficulty into the mix.

"You never like using the word security, but inevitably [that's what this move] is. Everyone's got families, mortgages, there's that aspect as well.

"But I pride myself on working as hard as I can wherever I am and I'm pleased that's up here."

Image source, SNS

Don Cowie says new striker Ronan Hale is proving why Ross County signed him after the forward netted two goals against Stirling Albion in the League Cup.

The 3-0 win over the Binos saw County ensure a place in the knock-out stages of the competition, with Hale making it three goals in two games in his early County career.

"He took his goals really well, especially the second one," boss Cowie told club media. "It wasn’t an easy finish but he made it look easy. We know he is capable of that.

“The first goal comes at a really good time for us in terms of making that breakthrough and calming everyone down. It’s just another indication of what he brings to this group.”

Hale joined the Highland outfit in the summer after a prolific spell at Cliftonville in Northern Ireland, where he scored 50 goals in 80 appearances.

The 25-year-old, who was born in Belfast, has been linked with a Northern Ireland call-up, despite playing for the Republic of Ireland at age-grade level.

The only down side for County during the win over Albion was the loss of Ricki Lamie, who went off injured after 39 minutes.

“He just felt a slight pain in the Achilles area,” Cowie explained. “The doc’s had a look at him and doesn’t think it’s anything too sinister but we’ll see how that recovers over the coming days.”