Ross County manager Don Cowie prepared for high stakes as Staggies travel to Paisley to face St Mirren in final Premiership match before split
Ross County manager Don Cowie does not expect St Mirren to go all out attack in Paisley this weekend, despite it being a must-win match for the Buddies’ top six hopes.
The final game before the Premiership splits will be an important one for the Staggies, who are now just one point clear of the relegation play-off zone after only a single victory in their last five matches.
However, St Mirren also have a lot riding on the fixture. They need to win to keep their chances of finishing in the top half alive, while hoping that Hearts and Motherwell draw when they face off against each other at Fir Park.
Despite what is at stake, though, Cowie is not expecting opposite number Stephen Robinson to make any drastic changes to how St Mirren have been playing throughout the campaign to date.
“I think St Mirren have got a really consistent style of play, in terms of their shape and their identity as a football team,” Cowie reasoned.
“I don't think that will change to begin with. In their last home game they had an outstanding result against Kilmarnock, so they'll have real belief from that.
“I'm sure as the game goes on, we'll start to sense within the stadium what the other result is that affects St Mirren.
“That might then mean that they have to change their tactics or go a bit more aggressive in terms of winning a game of football, depending on what the result is at that time.
Although recent results have made it impossible for County to finish in the top half, the league table remains incredibly congested.
Going into the final pre-split match, just four points separate Hearts in sixth from Dundee in 11th, meaning whoever ends up in the bottom half will be in a battle to avoid relegation.
Cowie, then, is hoping that his players see the upcoming matches as an opportunity to secure their top-flight future, rather than feeling pressurised by the prospect of a third consecutive relegation play-off.
“They're very consistent in the way that they go about their business, and we're now coming into a period of time where it's really important,” Cowie added.
“Like we've spoken previously, the experienced players need to use their experience and the knowledge that they've got from previous scenarios, and being in this situation with six games to go.
“We also hope it brings out the best in the younger players, and they embrace the challenge that's coming.
“We know what St Mirren are chasing this week, but we also know if we get three points, we go level with them. That is just another reflection of how tight this league is.
“There are going to be lots of twists and turns, I'm sure, once the bottom six comes and we know what the fixtures are and results start to happen.
"We've just got to be ready for that – we need to embrace it. We've worked hard to get to this point and we've got to work even harder now for this next six games.”
Ross County will be without long-term injury concerns Ryan Leak and Noah Chilvers for this weekend’s trip to St Mirren, while Andrew Macleod is on the sidelines for a shorter spell and Alex Samuel is a doubt.