Battle is on to be Ross County’s number one as Don Cowie backs Jordan Amissah and Ross Laidlaw to push each other in Dingwall
Don Cowie expects a real battle to be Ross County’s number one goalkeeper in the wake of Jordan Amissah’s new contract to stay in Dingwall.
Earlier this week the German-Ghanaian goalkeeper put pen-to-paper on a new two-year contract with the Staggies, a reward for his impressive form since first signing for the club in December.
That was a response from Cowie to an injury to Ross Laidlaw, who had previously been the undisputed number one at the club.
However, even since returning to fitness, Laidlaw has been unable to dislodge Amissah, who has been fairly consistent between the sticks.
With both goalkeepers signed up through to the end of next season, then, Cowie expects them to push each other to try and establish themselves as the man to wear the gloves.
“I think what we've got to recognise is that it's been a short period of time, but Jordan has earned the contract that he's received,” Cowie said.
“We're delighted that he sees his future at our football club, but it puts us in a really good place.
“We all know that we've got another goalkeeper at the club, Ross Laidlaw, who has been extremely consistent over a number of years. He’s fully fit now, so there's that real battle and challenge to play, which you want.
“We've got it everywhere else on the pitch, so it's important to also have it in the goalkeeping area, and with him re-signing, it definitely gives us that.
“Over the last number of years at the club, we've gone down the route of having our own goalkeeper and maybe a loan goalkeeper, which tends to be a younger one, trying to push Ross.
“I think now we're at a stage where we've got two of our own goalkeepers who we've got so much belief in, and it's up to them to fight it out, just like the four or five attacking players that we have fighting it out for positions in the team.”
While Amissah undoubtedly earned a new deal, he may be the exception in having signed an extension within the County squad.
A number of players are out of contract this summer, but Cowie admitted Amissah was a priority given the short-term nature of his previous deals, adding: “He's been playing regularly, playing really well.
“Again, with the lack of goalkeepers, we've only really got Ross and then the two younger goalkeepers in Logan Ross and Jayden Reid, so we felt it was important to try and do that business early.
“By doing that, it happened really quickly, which was a sign of how keen Jordan was to stay.”
Amissah, then, will hope to repay Cowie’s faith by continuing to produce strong performances when called upon, potentially starting with the visit of Dundee United on Sunday.
Dundee United are in less than stellar form, winning only one of their last six, and County can move three points behind them with the split fast approaching if they record a victory this weekend.
However, having already seen his side need a last-minute equaliser against Jim Goodwin’s team in Dingwall, before losing 3-0 at Tannadice in November, Cowie is taking absolutely nothing for granted.
“On the back of winning the Championship last year, I think they've been in the top-six for the majority of the season, which shows how well they've done,” Cowie added.
“They're going through maybe a challenging period right now in terms of results, but I think if you look overall, I think every team outwith Celtic has had that moment throughout the season.
“They've had two weeks to dust themselves down after a disappointing result in the derby.
“I'm sure they'll take a big travelling support on Sunday, an opportunity they'll look at to try and cement that place in the top-six for them once the split comes.
“They've got someone in Sam Dalby, a striker who's up there at the top of the goalscoring charts, and we've seen first-hand what he can do in the away game early in the season, but he's just one of a number of dangerous players they've got.
“We'll need to be ready for that. They'll be hurting on the back of the derby, but we're also looking to make amends after the Hearts game and get back to winning ways, so we'll have to perform really well for that to happen.”