Ross County

Image source, SNS

Don Cowie insists he's seen "more than enough" to suggest Ross County can secure Scottish Premiership survival with victory over St Johnstone on Wednesday.

Three points at McDiarmid Park would see the Dingwall side move five points clear of their opponents with just one game to go.

"We've got belief," Cowie told BBC Scotland.

"Over the last six to eight weeks, we've picked up some very good results. We've got to take a lot of positivity from that.

"It's going to be a real challenge, a tough game, because there's a lot at stake.

"I'm sure St Johnstone will be ready and prepared, but we've got to match that and go beyond that.

"We know what's it stake if we can get the three points. Do I believe we can do that? Of course I do.

"I've seen more than enough over the past two months [to suggest] we can do do that but we're going to have to be at our best."

County are looking to bounce back after Cowie suffered his first home defeat in charge against Motherwell at the weekend.

"It's a honest group," he added. "We've spoke about Saturday, we dealt with that."

"We've managed to put ourselves in a very good position. With six games to go we were four points behind St Johnstone.

"We now find ourselves two points ahead. We've got to feel good about ourselves."

Image source, SNS

Ross County interim manager Don Cowie has been speaking to BBC Scotland as his side gear up for a pivotal relegation clash with St Johnstone on Wednesday.

Here are the key points:

• Insists players are feeling "really positive" heading into a "really important" game on Wednesday.

• Believes the group's "honesty" has helped them reflect and move on from a heavy defeat to Motherwell at the weekend.

• Says his side have created "belief" in their form before Saturday, though stresses they must "match and go beyond" the performance set by St Johnstone.

• Expects a fast start from the home side to rouse the home crowd, but thinks he has players that can "hurt the opposition".

• Has seen "more than enough" over the past two months to assure him they will secure their Premiership status.

Image source, SNS

Ross County head into a crucial meeting of relegation rivals with St Johnstone as "slight favourites", says Richard Foster.

Having played for both clubs, the former defender believes the Dingwall side are more likely to score in a high-stakes contest at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday.

However, Foster points to County's poor record on the road as a sign of hope for St Johnstone, who he believes will need a strong defensive showing to move out of the play-off position.

"I think Ross County have more goals in the team," he tells BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Simon Murray's got a great return for a team that are near the bottom of the league.

"They also have got the option of Jordan White, who came on the pitch and makes a difference because of his aerial prowess.

"It's all about whether St Johnstone can stop Ross County scoring and then nick one up to the end.

"I know they actually played quite well against Livingston and missed a few chances.

"But I think for me, I would slightly favour Ross County. Having said that, I don't think their record in Perth is very good. Their record away from home is not very good."

Watch BBC highlights, as Motherwell thrash Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

We asked for your thoughts after Ross County were thrashed 5-1 by Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's what you had to say:

Alistair: I was shocked by their performance. They let themselves and their manager down badly. Wednesday night is the real relegation play-off because neither St Johnstone nor the Staggies will survive games against top Championship sides. Last chance saloon is in Perth.

Ron: A frustrating day in Dingwall. Ross Laidlaw’s errors for the first two goals gave Motherwell an advantage we struggled to overcome. A shame as he has been so good recently. Still, at 1-2 it was quite tight with no shortage of chances that were passed up. Blair Spittal killed the game with his class strike for their third - the best player on the park by far.

Image source, SNS

• Motherwell have scored 22 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Celtic (25) have scored more in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Ross County have conceded 17 goals to opposition substitutes in the Scottish Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Ross County have conceded 22 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, more than any other team in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Motherwell have scored 14 goals via substitutes in the Scottish Premiership this season, only Celtic (21) have scored more.

Image source, SNS

Ross County manager Don Cowie told BBC Radio Scotland: “I'm disappointed at the way the game finished, we gifted them two goals in the first half and they punished us for that.

“At 2-1 with ten minutes we’re still in the game, just disappointed at the way we lost our discipline and when you do that against a good team with good players, they pick you off and that’s what they did.

“We maybe just got a little desperate, players coming out of their shape and trying a little too hard and coming out of their shape, and players like [Blair] Spittal and [Theo] Bair they take advantage of that.

“The message from me is really clear, you can feel sorry for yourself tonight but when you wake up tomorrow you’ve got to be positive and think about a massive game on Wednesday.

On Ross Laidlaw’s first-half errors, he added: “He’s disappointed but I was really clear at half time, he knows he’s made two errors but on the back of games against Hibs and Rangers he did more than enough to get three points so it was about us trying to bail him out.

“We didn't manage to do that but I’m sure he’ll respond.”

Image source, BBC Sport

Were you at the match in Dingwall or following along from elsewhere?

We want your views on Ross County's loss here.

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

At a crucial point in their fight for survival, County's home form failed them as this was their first home defeat in seven.

Cowie made three changes at half-time, all attacking, but his side's periods of dominance failed to produce any clear-cut opportunities.

Late goals have been an issue for them this season, too, and they've now conceded 22 in the last 15 minutes of games - more than any other team in the league.

Their safety, importantly for them, remains in their own hands with only two games to go.

Simon Murray was isolated at times today, but when he was surrounded by other players he was at his best. He'll be key for their final two games you'd imagine.

Simon Murray was tireless up top for the hosts and took his goal well.

Image source, SNS

Image source, .

Ross County: Laidlaw, Randall, Baldwin, Dhanda, Murray, King, Efete, Brophy, Nightingale, Leak, Reid

Substitutes: Wickens, Sims, Loturi, Harmon, Henderson, Khela, Jenks, White, Ayina

Motherwell: Kelly, O’Donnell, McGinn, Cassy, Blaney, Gent, Halliday, Miller, Nicholson, Spittal, Bair

Substitutes: Oxborough, Mugabi, Paton, Zdravkovski, Shaw, Devine, Moses, Ferrie, Butcher

Image source, .

Ross County start this match with the same starting XI as their previous win against Hibernian.

Teddy Jenks returns to the bench in the place of James Brown who drops out of the matchday squad.

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Ross County boss Don Cowie expects to be selecting from an unchanged squad. Max Sheaf (muscle), Dylan Smith (ankle) and Scott Allardice (knee) are still out. Ross Callachan is back training after 13 months out with a knee injury but is unlikely to be involved this weekend.

Motherwell are also set to be unchanged as Jon Obika (hamstring) and Adam Devine (knee) work their way back to fitness. Callum Slattery (knee) and Adam Montgomery (hamstring) are out for the season.

Image source, SNS

Eamonn Brophy says Ross County are not looking beyond Saturday's match against Motherwell in their fight to avoid relegation.

County sit 10th in the Scottish Premiership, two points ahead of St Johnstone in the relegation play-off spot, and the sides will meet in Perth on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

Brophy insists County cannot afford to focus solely on the match against Craig Levein's side with three games of the season remaining.

“People are saying it’s a six-pointer and it is a massive game, but we just want to take one game at a time, try and get three points against Motherwell and then go into that game against St Johnstone trying to get three points,” he said.

“That game is going to be the decider in a lot of people’s eyes but at the end of the day it’s only three points and we’ve got nine points to play for. Hopefully we can take as many points as we can from all the games.”

Two of County's remaining three fixtures are at home, where they have won four and drawn two of their six matches since Don Cowie took over from Derek Adams in Dingwall.

Brophy also hopes County's additional "hunger" can provide an edge against Motherwell, with the Fir Park side already assured of top-flight football next season.

“Obviously Motherwell will go out and try to win the game but our mindset has got to be that we don’t want to be involved in the play-offs,” said Brophy.

“They are safe and they can maybe finish seventh but we want to stay in the league so our hunger to win the game has got to be more than theirs.

“Obviously we’ve played against them a few times this season and the last game against them wasn’t great but we’ll try and put that right. We’ve got a lot more to play for than they have and hopefully we can show that on Saturday.”

The Ross County talisman is a striker who has been underrated for much of his career and this season is no different.

Murray's strike against Hibs last week was his 19th in a stellar campaign and fifth in his last six Premiership games.

The 32-year-old is just one behind Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi on the league scoring charts, with his performances pivotal to County's excellent home form.

His work off the ball and ability to create (he has five assists this term) as well as score have allowed his team under Don Cowie to go six unbeaten in Dingwall, defeating Rangers, Hearts, and Hibs in the process.

Murray has already netted twice against Motherwell this season, too, so expect him to play a big part when the Steelman visit on Saturday as County look to further strengthen their pursuit of survival.

Read all the weekend's Premiership picks

• After their 3-0 win in December, Ross County could win back-to-back home games against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since November 2015.

• Motherwell have only lost one of their last eight league meetings with Ross County (W5 D2), winning 5-0 against them most recently in February.

• Ross County have won each of their last three home league games, their second-longest ever such winning run in the top flight, behind only a run of five wins from February to April 2015.

• Motherwell have kept just three clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership this season, half as many as any other side (Ross County next fewest with 6). They have gone 11 league games without a shutout, although their last was against Ross County in February (5-0 win).

• Theo Bair has scored 15 goals for Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership in 2023-24. Since the SPFL was founded in 2013, only John Sutton in 2013-14 (22) and Kevin van Veen last term (25) have netted more in a league season for the club.

Image source, SNS

Simon Murray is the exactly the kind of striker Ross County need in their bid for Premiership survival, says former Scotland frontman Lee Miller.

The 32-year-old has scored 19 goals for the Dingwall side this season, and Miller believes relegation rivals St Johnstone will be wishing they had a player of Murray's stature.

"Don Cowie's done a remarkable job, he's got them playing really good football," he told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"He's got strikers that can score goals. Jordan White and Simon Murray and [Eamonn] Brophy. These are striker that have got a goalscoring record, prolific at times.

"I really like Simon Murray. You put him in any team and he just works his socks off, hassles defenders. He's an absolute pest.

"He doesn't stop running, he anticipates things. He can create a goal out of nothing. When you're down there at that end of the league, that's the type of player you want in your team.

"If Craig Levein was offered him, he'd take him in a heartbeat."

Ross County will look to continue their impressive home form and push further to confirming their safety when they welcome Motherwell on Saturday.

Should Don Cowie stick with the winning formula or change things up? Choose your XI here.

Image source, SNS

Don Cowie is calling on Ross County to "maintain the very good home form" that has lifted them out of the relegation zone as they prepare to welcome Motherwell.

Saturday’s win over Hibernian extended the Highlanders’ unbeaten run in Dingwall to six games, which also includes victories over Rangers and Hearts.

The weekend success also moved them out of 11th place, leapfrogging a St Johnstone side who are now two points behind Cowie’s men.

"The supporters have been a massive part of it," the County boss said of his side’s positive run in Dingwall.

"The support they’ve given the group has been brilliant, we need it until he end of the season. They see a team working hard, entertaining at the same time, and they’ve really bought into that.

Following the visit of Motherwell, County face a potential season-defining trip to St Johnstone, but Cowie insists the team’s attention is solely on Saturday.

"[Saturday will be a] difficult game, but we feel positive and confident and we’ll be prepared and ready for it.

"Our focus right now is Motherwell, then we’ll start to look at St Johnstone. We’ve got three games left and it’s about getting nine points. If we get that we know we’re safe and we’ve done our job."

Image source, SNS

Don Cowie has been speaking to the media prior to Saturday’s Premiership meeting with Motherwell.

Here are the key lines from the Ross County manager:

• Cowie expressed his delight at Saturday’s win over Hibernian, saying his side "responded really well after going behind" to get the three points.

• But consistency is still something the County boss is "searching for" and he says the team "have got to keep persevering".

• Following the news a man has been arrested for allegedly racially abusing Yan Dhanda on Saturday, Cowie says the midfielder "is in a great place" and "handled himself extremely well".

• The County boss says the fans "have been a massive part" of their positive results in Dingwall.

• And Cowie has called on his side to maintain that "very good home form" against a "very dangerous" Motherwell team.

Ross Morren
Fan writer

Ross County’s 2-1 victory over Hibernian is possibly their most important so far this season.

The three points lifted the Staggies up to 10th and out of the dreaded play-off position for the first time in 2024. With just three games to go, it could be a huge moment in their battle to secure their Premiership status.

County showed plenty of courage and character during their victory on Saturday. Prior to their win against Rangers, the Staggies had previously failed to win any of their last 45 matches when conceding the first goal.

They’ve now won back-to-back home games after going a goal behind and made it 14 points out a possible 18 available in Dingwall since Don Cowie has taken over.

Two players who embodied the desire in the County squad on Saturday were the goalscorers, Simon Murray and Jordan White.

Fans are running out of superlatives to describe Murray’s performances this season. His energy and ability to sense danger put him in the perfect position to capitalise on Rocky Bushiri’s mistake and fire in his 12th Premiership goal of the season to haul County back on level terms.

White’s action has been limited over recent months, but he came off the bench in the 76th minute and immediately got himself involved in with his pressing and physical presence.

His biggest contribution came in the 88th minute as he grabbed his first goal since February to seal a huge win for the Staggies and send the home fans at the Global Energy Stadium crazy.

The psychological boost from Saturday’s victory and subsequent move up the table at this stage in the season could breathe fresh life into County’s survival bid.

The players answered any questions that might have been lingering following the defeat to Livingston last week by going toe-to-toe against arguably the strongest team in the bottom six and coming out with three points.

Ross Morren can be found on The County Corner., external