Don Cowie: It doesn’t matter who the teams are behind you in the league

Don Cowie is unfazed by the size of the clubs his Ross County side are currently vying with to avoid slipping to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

The Staggies are currently ninth in the table, with only St Johnstone, Hearts and Hibernian below them.

Asked if it was a concern that the two well-resourced Edinburgh clubs are among those trying to leapfrog them, County boss Cowie said: “No, not really, because the two teams are there for a reason right now.

“They need to then start winning games, just like we always want to do as well, so it doesn’t matter who the teams are behind you, you focus on yourself and try and get as many points as possible.

“It’s a really competitive league, you want to strive for better, which we’re always trying to do, but at the same time we understand the challenge of the league, the teams, the quality that you’re playing against.

“Consistency is key and if we can get that then that allows you the opportunity to move up the league table.”

County have won only one of their last eight matches and lost 3-0 to Dundee United in their last outing before the international break. Cowie is braced for another demanding fixture at home to in-form Motherwell on Saturday.

“Motherwell have had an excellent season so far, they got to the League Cup semi-final, they’re sitting in the top half of the table, they’ve been really impressive and they’ve been really consistent, that’s why they are sitting joint fourth in the league,” he said.

“We’re at home and our performance levels there have been really strong and we have belief that we can beat Motherwell, but at the same time it will be a really difficult game.

“They’ve got a really strong squad, they’ve got lots of options, especially in the forward area. They recruited heavily in the summer and after having quite a few injuries they’re now starting to get quite a few players back.

“They’ve got real threats, they’ve got pace in the team, they’re also physical in terms of they’re good from set-plays, so it’s going to be a real challenge, but one that we’re looking forward to.”