Ross County manager Don Cowie looking for consistency as Staggies kick off new Championship season away at Airdrieonians
Don Cowie believes consistency will be key as Ross County look to kick off their promotion bid in style on the opening weekend of the Championship season.
The Staggies had a mixed League Cup group stage, scoring a big win over Edinburgh City and seeing off Queen of the South, but losing a penalty shoot-out to Stranraer and then being beaten by second-tier rivals Partick Thistle.
They open up their league campaign on Saturday away at Airdrieonians, who were only spared from automatic relegation last season by Hamilton’s points deduction before winning the play-offs.
However, Rhys McCabe’s men look revitalised after that escape, having beaten Premiership side Dundee in the League Cup group stages, which means Don Cowie is taking nothing for granted.
That will be a recurring theme throughout this season, and County’s manager says success will stem from being able to deliver week in, week out in what is always a closely-contested division.
"We're excited with the feeling as we go into a new league campaign,” Cowie said.
"We know the challenge that is coming with the quality of opposition in the Championship, and last Saturday showed that.
"We've watched from afar in recent years and we've know how tough it is. The Championship is always unpredictable.
"Every team will fancy their chances on any given week and every team is ultra-competitive.
"There are good squads and good teams throughout the league. It will, as always, come down to who is the most consistent. That's what we will be striving for.”
Some fresh blood in the Airdrieonians squad has given them an all-new impetus going into the new season, with summer signing Euan Henderson in particular scoring three goals in his four League Cup group stage matches.
Henderson is a talent Cowie knows all too well, with the pair having been at Hearts together a few years ago.
While he and others will pose threats County will have to contain this weekend, Cowie is also looking for the Staggies to be on the front foot themselves to go and claim all three points from the Excelsior Stadium.
"We played against Airdrie a couple of years ago in the League Cup, so I saw first hand as assistant manager how good a job Rhys McCabe has done there,” Cowie added.
"Airdrie are a very good footballing team, who had a great season two years ago when they got to the play-offs.
"It was a bit more challenging for them last season, but they lost a lot of key players and had a few injuries, so that was maybe a big factor.
“They don’t carry a huge squad, so that would affect any team, but they stayed in the league.
"They have shown already in the League Cup, when they beat Dundee, that this will be a tough game and we will have to be well aware of that.
“They will want to make sure that they start well. They have added a freshness, and they have added experience at the back in Sean McGinty.
“I know Euan Henderson from playing with him at Hearts, he has bags of pace and power and he can be a real threat on his day, so there are plenty of things for us to think about.
“I want to see us being on the front foot and attacking each game, and that starts on Saturday against Airdrie.”