Betfred Cup tests can help Ross County in Premiership
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Ross Stewart believes a testing opening two matches in the Betfred Cup will stand Ross County in good stead as Premiership action resumes today.
In the midst of a tricky run of games in the league that included Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers in the space of three weeks, some would have expected the Betfred Cup to be a timely opportunity to build up confidence and momentum.
As the sole top flight side in the group, County were heavy favourites to finish top of the pack ahead of their first match at Montrose, and it looked like it was going to be a comfortable outing when the Staggies went 3–0 up.
However, Montrose came roaring back with three goals of their own to force the tie into penalties.
Then on Tuesday, Arbroath took the lead in the second half thanks to Dale Hilson’s stunning free kick.
On both occasions, County came out of the tests with a degree of success – they won the shootout against Montrose and they turned it around midweek to win 2–1 against Arbroath.
So Stewart thinks the competitive nature of those games bodes well ahead of Hibernian’s visit to Dingwall tomorrow afternoon.
“We knew they were going to be tough,” he explained.
“The teams we’re facing have a lot to prove going up against a Premiership side, so we have to treat them like we would any game.
“In the first half, we weren’t where we wanted to be, but in the second we showed a lot more of what we were about.
“Getting the win puts a couple of disappointing results in the league and cup behind us.
“It sets us up nicely going back into the league.
“Obviously we had a disappointing result last Wednesday, giving away three goals, so it was important to bounce back to winning ways and get the confidence high.
“It’s going to be another tough spell in the league starting with Hibs on Saturday, and Tuesday’s win is a great way to go into it.”
