Festive schedule provided fuel for Ross County to turn around fortunes away from Dingwall, says Staggies manager Don Cowie
Don Cowie admits Ross County’s festive fixture programme provided fuel for their impressive run of form.
The Staggies faced three away matches between Boxing Day and January 5, making the trips to Dundee, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock with only a single home match against Hearts sandwiched in between.
That run saw them cover close to 1000 miles on the road, in stark contrast to next opponents Celtic’s tally of 11.
However, despite County’s well-documented struggles away from home, they have become the form side in the Scottish Premiership, winning three matches in-a-row away from Dingwall in the Premiership for the first time ever.
Cowie says there was a resolve amongst the players and coaching staff to not let the scheduling become an excuse, and possibly provided that extra determination that made the difference on the scoreboard.
“I spoke to the boys after Kilmarnock, and I told them I was really proud,” Cowie said.
“We were really unlucky with the fixture list over that period to have three games away from home.
“We’re the team that travels the furthest anyway, and we had three in such a short space of time, but it really galvanised the group. You can feel sorry for yourself, but it had a really positive impact.
“We were in a hotel on Christmas Day, and players can look at that and think they would rather be at home with their families.
“I’m sure they would, but it really gave the group a grit between their teeth to go and make the most of it – and almost show everyone what they are capable of.
“To come out with the results we have and the manner of results and quality of the goals we’ve scored is great.
“I probably didn’t realise at the time how good the goal was we scored at Kilmarnock, but now it’s about building on that and maintaining it as we go along.
“The challenge doesn’t come any bigger than Celtic coming here on Saturday. The boys are in a really good place, feeling confident, and they must have real belief going into it.”
While results have been excellent over the last couple of weeks, Cowie points to a tactical tweak and the performance for a spell in a match County lost as the turning point.
“I’m learning, I’ve still got loads to learn as a manager,” he reasoned.
“We had a set way to play, which I felt suited our group of players, and we have adapted that slightly. We saw real shoots of growth in the Hibs game away, that first half was our best performance away from home I thought.
“We came away with nothing, but we saw a lot of positives in that, and we have stuck to that.
“It has really come to the fore in the three games after it, which is nice, but I’m not going to get carried away. I want to keep improving and striving to get better as we push up the league.
“I think it’s clear that we needed to improve our results, because everyone around us was also picking up lots of points, so it has been an important period of time.
“After any result, we speak about it on the Monday after the game, but this group are really good at putting defeats to one side after that.
“Naturally with the run we’ve been on recently, there’s a really vibrant atmosphere, so the challenge is to continue that.”
