Don Cowie challenges Ross County to embrace challenge of playing Aberdeen

Don Cowie has told his Ross County players to take heart from their previous encounters with Aberdeen as they prepare for the visit of Jimmy Thelin’s resurgent side.

The Staggies boss believes the Dons, who have lost just one of their last eight games, have banished the long winter slump that threatened to derail their season.

However, Cowie is buoyed by the way County have competed in their two meetings with the Reds – a 2-1 win at Pittodrie in January and a 1-0 home defeat in August.

“Everyone has spoken about the challenges they had over the winter months in terms of the results, but they’re well and truly out of that now,” said the Staggies boss.

“They’re looking consistent, picking up a lot of points, so they’ll come here full of confidence, looking to continue that.

“We have to embrace the challenge of playing a massive club in the country here in Dingwall.

“The last game (at Pittodrie) is evidence for us as a team and a group to look back on, a game that we performed very well first half, rode our luck second half, which sometimes you need to do.

“And I thought here in Dingwall early in the season, we performed really well and we got done by a sucker punch in the 97th minute after missing a penalty. There’s really tight games and I’m sure Saturday will be the same.”

County’s top-six hopes are all but over but Cowie has challenged his team – four points clear of second-bottom Dundee – to win their last two pre-split fixtures against Aberdeen and St Mirren.

“We’ve got two games left, six points to play for and that’s what we’ll strive to try and achieve,” he said. “Big ask, but there’s no reason why we can’t do it.”