Ross County striker Ronan Hale ‘back to his best’ ahead of crucial spell as Staggies look to secure Premiership status for 2025/26 season
Don Cowie believes Ross County forward Ronan Hale is back to his best at the perfect time to help the club avoid relegation.
Last summer’s arrival from Cliftonville hit the ground running in Dingwall, scoring seven goals in his first 11 games across all competitions.
However, a relative dry spell either side of the new year saw Hale fall out of favour and drop out of the starting 11.
Although his finishing ability was never in doubt, Cowie wanted to see more from the former Birmingham forward’s all-round game, and he feels there has been significant improvement over the last month or so.
It is perhaps no coincidence that has also come with a return to form in front of goal, with Hale finding the net twice in County’s last three games.
With three more matches to come to secure the Staggies’ Premiership status for next season, then, Hale will need to keep delivering for Cowie’s men to achieve their goal.
“You always believe that Ronan will score goals,” Cowie stressed.
“If you give him the service, he's got that clinical nature. He's got no other thought in his head than to get a shot away and try and score a goal.
“What I've really enjoyed in the last few weeks is his all-round performance. He's looked right back to his best.
“He's looked lively. He probably could have had a second goal last Saturday had it not been for a really good save from Craig Gordon.
“I’m delighted that he's scoring – he's in a really good frame of mind. You can see he just thrives on scoring goals and his confidence is looking really high. That can only be a good thing for us as a football club.”
Hale’s goals should give his teammates and supporters alike some belief that County can get the results they need in the final three matches of the season, despite being the Premiership’s lowest scorers at less than a goal per game on average.
Cowie thinks that optimism must remain in place, and he will be doing all he can on the training pitch to ensure Staggies heads do not drop ahead of such crucial fixtures.
“There needs to be belief – and that comes from the results that we've had this season, and what we're capable of doing,” he added.
“Naturally, in sport, when it goes against you, you could feel sorry for yourself. I won't accept that.
“It's gone. You can't change what's happened, but what we can do is be ready for these three games coming, starting with St Johnstone.
“It's having that clear mind, recognising what we can do when we play at a high level, and the results that we can get on the back of that.”
