Ross County staff and supporters keen to build on Premiership survival as chief executive Steven Ferguson says ‘we want more than that’
After back-to-back relegation play-offs, everyone associated with Ross County will be hoping to avoid similar drama next season.
Admittedly, the two legs against Raith Rovers proved to be far more comfortable than last year’s escape against Partick Thistle, but it was still a scenario that players, staff and supporters alike would rather have avoided.
With Don Cowie taking over the reigns permanently in Dingwall, and the vast majority of last season’s squad still under contract for the 2024/25 campaign, it seems like a chance for the Staggies to build.
Fans certainly are hoping to be battling for places further up the league table by the time the closing weeks of the season next year come around, then.
“Hopefully they start like we ended this year, because our home form has been nothing short of phenomenal,” supporter liaison officer Shaun Campbell said.
“If we can set off like that, we will hopefully be in for a very happy and successful season. It’s football, you never know what’s going to happen, but we can dream.
“Why not try and push for the top six? I would have thought that’s where we want to go as a football club, and I don’t think there’s any reason why we can’t either.
“We are one together, and I think we will be quite a scary team for others in the league to come up against. Historically, if you have a club that’s as one with the fans and the management team all looking in the right direction, you usually get success out of that.
“That’s all we can hope for – a successful season next year. I would love a cup run, because we have struggled in the cups over the years. Apart from winning the League Cup in 2016, we haven’t really done much, especially in the Scottish Cup.
”As a fan, that’s the one you want to go and try to win. It’s never easy, but I’m sure Don will be looking at it and if we are as one there is no reason why we can’t have a bit of success next season.”
Similarly, The County Corner podcast host Ross Morren is hoping for a cup run that would see the club’s homegrown manager reach the national stadium.
“Realistically the goal is 10th,” he reasoned.
“As much as the play-offs were enjoyable this season compared to last season, we still don’t want to be in there next time.
“Any season that Ross County is finishing in the top 10 teams in the country is a successful season for what we have here.
“Being ambitious, we ended the season with one defeat in nine games at home, so if we can improve our away form and replicate the home form next season, you never know what can be achieved.
“We might be able to take advantage of some opportunities. It would be really great for a local guy like Don to lead the team out at Hampden. It would be brilliant if that could happen.”
From the club’s point of view, they have already said that while the celebrations after beating Raith Rovers were enjoyable, it was not where they wanted Ross County to be fighting.
“We want to compete, and be the best version of ourselves,” chief executive Steven Ferguson said.
“We can’t be, and we don’t want to be, any other club. We want to be really good at what we do, and we really want to hold on to our identity and be the unique club that we are.
“We want to compete in the Premiership, and we want to be looking up the table rather than down.
“To do that is really difficult, but we want to compete as high up the league as we can, we want to have cup runs. We want to push the bar as high as we can.
“If we stayed in the league, I would be delighted, but internally that’s not enough for us. Externally, everybody will recognise that us staying in the Premiership is success, but internally I can tell you that we want more than that.
“How we get that is the million dollar question – or the £2.5 million question.”
