Ross County boss Don Cowie does not want a repeat of Easter Road defeat

Don Cowie has challenged Ross County to produce a 90-minute performance after their defeat at Easter Road last month sparked Hibernian’s current eight-game unbeaten run.

The Staggies looked on course to leave Hibs rock-bottom of the William Hill Premiership when they led 1-0 for most of the first half on December 15, but David Gray’s side hit back to win 3-1.

That mid-game turnaround for Hibs proved pivotal as they embarked on a strong run of form – including a four-game winning streak – over the festive period to climb into the top six ahead of their rematch in Dingwall this weekend.

“I thought we played really well first half, but you get nothing for just doing it for 45 minutes, and that proved to be the case that day,” said County boss Cowie.

“Since beating us that day, they’ve really kicked on. They’ve lost one in 11, so it shows how well they’ve progressed. They have been very consistent with their shape.”

Cowie, whose side were eliminated from the Scottish Cup by Livingston last weekend, is braced for “a really tough game”.

“When a team’s in form and their confidence is high, they’ve got a lot of threats,” he said. “Martin Boyle has really ignited his season in the last six to eight weeks, scoring goals and performing like we all know he’s capable of doing.

“They’ve found a system that they’re very comfortable in. They’ve got really good attacking wing-backs, which allows them to play on the front foot.

“Not only that, they’ve got a really strong squad and they’ve got a few players coming back from injury as well.

“But despite the frustration and disappointment from Saturday against Livingston in the cup, we were in really good form in the league and it’s one that we must be ready for and try and maintain that form.”

County are unable to field on-loan Hibs midfielder Nohan Kenneh, who has started each of their last four matches since moving to the Highlands earlier this month.