Ross County manager Don Cowie credits sports science and medical team with fitness levels in Dingwall ahead of Premiership run-in
Ross County manager Don Cowie believes the club’s medical team deserve credit for having so many players fit and available to play at this stage of the season.
Alex Samuel returned to action for the Staggies in their last outing against Kilmarnock, and with the likes of Will Nightingale back in training too it leaves only Ryan Leak and Michee Efete as absentees through injury.
Coming into the business end of the campaign, having different options fit and firing is invaluable to Cowie as County look to secure first their Premiership status for next season, and then potentially break into the top six.
Knowing what an asset that will be, Cowie made sure to praise his sports science and medical team for the work they have done throughout the 2024/25 season.
“It’s a reflection of the way we work,” he reasoned.
“We are in a good place. We speak about it all the time – it can change at any moment, but it feels good having really good options.
“When I’m looking over my shoulder and seeing the options we’ve got on the subs bench, it’s really healthy with good competition.
“When we have three games in a week it’s very demanding, and pitches are at that stage where they are quite heavy and it can have a big impact on the players.
“I’m delighted with where we are right now in terms of the squad.”
The sports science department at County is spearheaded by Jason Moriarty, who joined the club around the same time Cowie initially took over as interim manager last season.
He has been nothing but impressed by the Englishman, who spent time with Wimbledon, Milton Keynes, Reading and Brunei before moving to Dingwall.
In fact, Cowie believes that Moriarty possesses many of the qualities that the Staggies look for in prospective new signings.
“When I came into the role as interim manager, Jason Moriarty came in as the sports scientist in the same week, and I think it had a huge impact on the club,” Cowie added.
“That was nothing to do with the person that left, but he’s very enthusiastic and gets the best out of the players.
“We have constant dialogue with the players every day prior to what we are going to do in training, so he has a big input into that. He’s aware of everything the players are doing, and he has been a breath of fresh air at our football club.
“We speak about recruiting players, and sometimes they look at where we are geographically and it can be a hindrance, but Jason didn’t even bat an eyelid because of where he had come from.
“He is someone that brings so much to the group of staff we’ve got here, and we have a lot of respect for him. For someone with such a great work ethic, and who always wants to help the players and staff, he has been a fantastic recruit.”
