Don Cowie believes plastic pitch ban in Scottish Premiership is ‘right thing to do’ but insists it will not be an excuse for Ross County at Kilmarnock
Don Cowie believes it will be a good thing when plastic pitches are gone from the Scottish Premiership - but insists the playing surface will not be an excuse if Ross County fail to win away at Kilmarnock this weekend.
The Staggies travel to Rugby Park on Saturday for their first post-split match in the Premiership run-in.
Kilmarnock’s pitch is the last remaining Astroturf surface in Scotland’s top flight, with the Ayrshire outfit planning to revert back to a grass pitch for next season.
That came after it was announced that artificial pitches were to be phased out, with a ban coming into effect for the 2026/27 season.
For the time being, Ross County are able to prepare for the change of surface given that they have both indoor and outdoor Astroturf pitches to train on at the Highland Football Academy.
Cowie, then, expects his players to perform this weekend, even if he does think the incoming ban will be a good thing for Scottish football long-term.
"We play in the elite level of football in our country, and I don't think you see artificial pitches too often in other countries,” Cowie explained.
"It's such a change, it's so different, and Kilmarnock's home record in the last few years has shown how much of an advantage it can be for them in terms of getting results.
"It was allowed, so you just deal with it. We have gone to Livingston and Hamilton in years gone by, and you need to recognise that's where we are in the Scottish game, but if that change is going to happen in the foreseeable future then I think it's the right thing to do."
On the challenges it poses for players, and managers picking their teams, Cowie continued: "Players like the same – humans do. They like habit, and when you train on grass 95 per cent of the year going into every other game, and then you flip and go on to an artificial surface, your body is wondering what's going on.
"You might feel a little bit uncomfortable, but you've got to try and push that away and deal with it.
"Some people who have had historical injuries mean that playing on that surface isn't possible. I know people who won't even step on to an artificial surface because of what's happened.
"I believe we've got a group that is comfortable playing on it. We have an outdoor Astroturf we can train on, and in the winter we have an indoor one, so it's definitely not an excuse for us when we come up against these games."
