Ross County manager Don Cowie knows importance of points away from Dingwall as Staggies look to rise up Premiership table
Don Cowie admits Ross County must strive to improve away form in the Premiership to boost their survival chances.
The Staggies have gone 19 matches without a win on the road in the league dating back to September 2 last year, when they won at Kilmarnock.
In Cowie’s time in interim and full managerial charge, there have been nine away games without a win.
Against that, seven of those 19 were draws while another four were single goal defeats, with County’s performances on their travels not always reaping the rewards they should have.
Home results have been more than healthy throughout those same periods, but Cowie, while relaxed about the statistics, does acknowledge the need to pick up more points away from Dingwall.
The County manager stressed: “We’re aware of the away record, but I don’t think about it too much.
“Obviously when the away game comes along, that becomes the focus.
“We have only had two league games this year away from home. We have drawn one (Motherwell) and lost one (Rangers).
“We need to improve away from home, in terms of picking up results, no matter how that comes about, whether it’s the maximum three points or picking up points on the road.”
This season there were League Cup group game victories at Hamilton and Stranraer, before a shock defeat away to Spartans.
County also won in Kirkcaldy in the play-off double header against Raith, but the contrast in league matches home and away stands.
Cowie said: “I always believe we will pick up points here in Dingwall. I think we are really strong here, and it’s about adding to that.
“Points away from home are really valuable and being hard to beat away from home is really key.
“The back end of last year we played really well in some games, and came away with nothing.
“Against Motherwell this season we probably didn’t play the greatest football, but we got a very important point.
“It just shows that performance isn’t everything, to get that end result you want.
“We have had the advantage of four home and two away so far, so we have plenty of opportunities coming up to put that record right.
“That starts this week in a really important game against Hearts.”
The character and calm resolve Cowie’s players showed in clawing back a 3-1 deficit against St Johnstone to draw augur well for challenges ahead, home and away.
Cowie stressed: “We need to make sure we are competitive in every game we play in.
“Whatever the opponent gets off you, you need to make sure they need to work extremely hard to get it.
“Saturday was more evidence of that. It would have been easy at 3-1, with three minutes to go, to just accept we were going to lose the game.
“But we didn’t, and we managed to get a really important point, just as we did against Dundee United (with Ronan Hale’s late equaliser).
“In those circumstances, you can feel sorry for yourself, but it’s great character the team is showing to keep going until the end.
“I think that also proves we are a really fit team.”
County, who have won at Tynecastle just once, courtesy of Alex Schalk’s goal in March 2017, travel south still without left-backs Josh Reid and George Harmon, while Ricki Lamie and Max Sheaf remain sidelined as well.
