Ross County ready for Motherwell trip in Scottish Premiership despite new faces in Steelmen ranks, insists Don Cowie
Don Cowie says he feels prepared as Ross County get set to travel to Motherwell this weekend – despite a couple of wildcards in the Steelmen’s ranks.
Saturday’s match at Fir Park will be the third time the two sides have met this season, with County winning their last encounter 2-1 after a 0-0 draw back in August.
However, Motherwell had a busier January than the Staggies did, meaning there are new challenged for Cowie’s men to deal with this time around.
Motherwell signed eight players in the winter window, including the recruitment of Luke Plange and Will Dickson on loan from Crystal Palace and Manchester City respectively on loan.
That pair are still something of an unknown prospect given how recently they moved north of the border, so Cowie admits they will be wildcards within a familiar tactical set-up under caretaker manager Stephen Frail.
"There has been a fair bit of change in terms of personnel,” Cowie said of the Motherwell squad.
"They've also had a good few injuries throughout the season, but they still have the continuity with Stevie Frail being the caretaker manager.
"He knows everyone and has been there for the best part of two years coaching them, so the players don't need to go through the process of learning what he's about.
"Since Stuart (Kettlewell) left they had one game, which looking at it in isolation was against Celtic, so it's quite hard to get a real grasp on what Stevie really wants from the team but we're well aware of the Motherwell players.
"There are a couple of unknowns, who they signed right at the end of the transfer window. We will do our homework and be best prepared for Saturday.
"We know most of the players, so when it is someone who is at the club and been working there for a long time, you're not expecting to see drastic changes.
"You do, of course, have one eye on the possibility of something different happening, and you need to be prepared to see that early within the game, but overall, you make sure you are prepared for as much as possible for what can happen.”
From a County perspective, Will Nightingale is back in full training with the squad, albeit his five-month absence means Cowie will look to ease him back into action.
Alex Samuel and Michee Efete are also doing light training, with the intention of returning to full training in the coming weeks.