Ross County manager Don Cowie admits Staggies still have ‘a long way to go’ after Dingwall outfit defeated by St Johnstone
Don Cowie admitted there is still a long way to go for his Ross County side after they lost 1-0 to St Johnstone under the lights in Dingwall.
The Staggies were beaten by a late Uche Ikpeazu goal, which came from an error in judgement from Ross Laidlaw who tried, unsuccessfully, to come and claim a high free kick.
Although the Perth Saints had much of the control during the match, the better chances until that point had fallen County’s way, with Ronan Hale and Jay Henderson each hitting efforts straight at the visiting goalkeeper.
Cowie, then, was left frustrated at the final result, and acknowledging more work needs to be done before they return to league action against Partick Thistle in two weeks’ time.
“There’s no denying that St Johnstone were a bit slicker in possession than us,” Cowie said.
“I thought we defended really well, and there were several fantastic blocks with people putting their bodies on the line, and as the second half went on we had the best opportunity with Jay.
“The rebound didn’t quite drop for Ronan, and James couldn’t get his header past the post, and ultimately it’s a mistake that has cost us.
“Ross has held his hands up, and it has allowed St Johnstone to get the three points. We tried to push to get an equaliser, but we’re really frustrated to get an equaliser with the way the game was going in the second half.
“I am seeing signs of things gelling, but I also still feel like there’s a long way to go.
“We don’t have a game for two weeks, but we’re going to play Hearts midweek behind closed doors and we know there’s still a lot of work to do.
“There are relationships to work on, and sometimes that clicks instantly and sometimes that takes time. Over the next two weeks we need to really work on that and make sure we’re ready to get three points against Partick Thistle.”