Ross County coach Paul Cowie delighted with homecoming 25 years after leaving Dingwall – and insists Staggie blood has never left his veins
Paul Cowie had a lot of options on the table this summer, but returning home to Ross County to work alongside brother Don was a no-brainer.
The coach left his role as academy director at Dundee United to form part of the first team coaching staff in Dingwall ahead of the new season.
It was a homecoming for Cowie, who started his football career with the Staggies after being part of a successful Dingwall Academy side, and who spent many a weekend at Victoria Park with dad Don Senior the assistant to Bobby Wilson 30 years ago.
If he was in any doubt about what having two homegrown talents leading the side forward would mean to County fans, it did not take him long to be made aware of it – but that is a responsibility he is relishing so far.
“It’s in the blood – the Staggie blood is here,” Cowie explained.
“We have always been affiliated with the club. We went to every game, we were ballboys and we went on the first team bus.
“We’ve got so much history with the club, it was an easy decision for me to come back because I know exactly where the club is going and where it has come from. I’m delighted to be home.
“Dad is over the moon. Don played, I played and he played, so it’s in his blood to come to every game.
“With us both being here, it helps, because when I was at United and Don was at County I had to tell our dad to keep his County blood and not really worry about me.
“We have a connection to the fans because we know what it is like to live up here. Lots of friends have contacted me since I’ve come up, little things like that.
“There is a lot of pride from friends that we’re now in that environment and leading it, and it is up to us to make sure we make a good account of ourselves, representing not just the club but the community as well.”
It is nearly 25 years since Paul Cowie left County as a player, having also turned out for this weekend’s opponents Spartans while at university, and a serious injury would end his time on the pitch prematurely.
From there he would turn to PE teaching, before getting back into football while in Singapore thanks to his children’s interest in the sport.
That started the path that would eventually lead to a return to Dingwall, and Cowie sitting on the UEFA Pro License course, all while giving him a unique background among Premiership coaches.
“To work with your brother at your hometown club, you can’t get a better chance than that, so it was an easy decision,” he added.
“Don has been trying to give me orders for many years, so nothing has changed! Obviously we’re still getting used to each other’s ways, but we’ve always been in contact even when we were apart, so it’s been very positive.
“It’s been an accelerated progression for me in terms of where I’ve been. My background is in education, and since I got back into football when I came back from Singapore it has only gone upwards.
“I always wanted to be in the men’s game again, and I knew I could come back to that level, but it was a big move to come into this environment.
“At Dundee United I was very connected with the six managers I had over my period there, so I was getting a taste of it and that just made me hungry for it, so I’m delighted to be here.
“For me, the knowledge of the game - the methodology, the coaching practices – that’s there, but it is all about relationships and understanding who you are working with.
“I talk about super-strengths. What are they and how do we harness those? Yes, they will have areas they can develop, but let’s talk about what they are good at, not what they can’t do.
“That’s a big thing for me. Leading people, organising people, structuring the sessions – that’s all been transferred from my educational background.”