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Press and Journal
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Ross County boss Don Cowie outlines dangers for opening day clash at Airdrie as he gears up for 'unpredictable' Championship
Ross County will be alert to the threat of a former Hearts hot-shot when they kick off their Championship campaign at Airdrie this Saturday. The Dingwall club, who lost the Premiership play-off final to Livingston in May, are focused on going straight back to the top flight in one year – like they achieved in 2018-19. The Staggies start away to Airdrieonians, who won their relegation play-off final against Cove Rangers. The Diamonds escaped the automatic drop thanks to Hamilton's 15-point deduction due to various breaches of Scottish Professional Football League rules. Player/manager Rhys McCabe's side were unlucky not to qualify for the 16 last of the Premier Sports Cup, winning three ties, but being pipped by Alloa Athletic, who beat them 3-2 on Saturday. County's interest in the League Cup was also ended on Saturday when they lost 3-1 at home to Championship rivals Partick Thistle. Striker Euan Henderson – a summer signing from Accies – has scored three games in Airdrie last three matches and he was an emerging talent at Hearts when County boss Don Cowie played there from 2018 to 2020. County's first league opponents, who beat top-flight Dundee in the cup, are shaping up well, according to Cowie. He said: 'Airdrie had a wee bit of a challenge last year, but they had lost a few players from the previous season and had a couple of injuries which played a huge part. 'They don't carry a huge squad, so that would affect any team, but they have stayed in the league. 'They will want to make sure that they start well. They have added a freshness, and they have added experience at the back in Sean McGinty. 'I know Euan Henderson from playing with him at Hearts, he has bags of pace and power and he can be a real threat on his day. 'He has started the season well, so there are plenty of things for us to think about. 'I want to see us being on the front foot and attacking each game, and that starts on Saturday against Airdrie.' Two years ago, it took an Eamonn Brophy winner in extra-time to seal a nervy 4-3 victory in North Lanarkshire to squeeze through in the League Cup. Cowie has plenty of respect for their weekend hosts. He said: 'We played against Airdrie a couple of years ago in the League Cup. 'I seen at first hand when I was (County' assistant manager how good a job Rhys McCabe has done there. 'Airdrie are a very good footballing team, who had a great season two years ago when they got to the play-offs. 'It was a bit more challenging for them last season, but they lost a lot of key players and had a few injuries, so that was maybe a big factor. 'They have shown already in the League Cup, when they beat Dundee, that this will be a tough game and we will have to be well aware of that.' After this weekend's opener, County will host expected main title rivals St Johnstone on Friday, the club who came down from the Premiership with the Staggies. Cowie knows it's going to require his men to be consistently at their best to win the top prize after 38 matches. He added: 'The Championship is always unpredictable. 'Every team will fancy their chances on any given week and every team is ultra-competitive. 'There are good squads and good teams throughout the league. 'It will, as always, come down to who is the most consistent. That's what we will be striving for. 'A reminder of what lies ahead is exactly what Saturday was for us (by losing to Partick). 'It's a reminder of the challenge, but also that we're a new group. We have so much still to improve on. 'Had the result gone our way on Saturday, I would still have had the same feeling. 'Seventeen players have left this club, and 11 have come in. That's a big turnover. 'We were missing a few players, but we will be in a stronger position this weekend.' Captain Connor Randall and winger Gary Mackay-Steven return from respective head and knee injuries to make the weekend squad, but defender Akil Wright is a doubt due to an Achilles injury.
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
Hedge fund boss buys Scottish island as last 2 residents leave
Fior Rona Ltd, a company set up by hedge fund manager Danny Luhde-Thompson and his wife Cressida Pollock last month, has bought the Isle of Rona in a private exchange with the previous owner. Found between Skye and Raasay, Rona is home to settlements along with deer and is covered in knee-deep scrub and bogs, which cover the 2400 acres of rocky landscape. The island also boasts a vast variety of marine life ranging from minke whales to sea eagles, and is surrounded by other islets, including Eilean Seamraig, Garbh Eilean which is connected to Rona at low tide, Sgeirean Buidhe Bhorlum, and A' Sgeir Shuas READ MORE: 10,000-acre Highland juniper forest gains special European status in UK-first Luhde-Thompson, who is a prominent financial backer of the Labour Party, announced the purchase of the island from a Danish couple Dorte and Arne Jensen, who bought Rona in 1992 for a sum just short of £250,000. The sale of the island coincided with the retirement of the last two residents of the island, as the couple Bill Cowie and Lorraine Shill have decided to leave after moving there in the early 2000s. The pair have worked as custodians of Rona for more than two decades after they moved there in 2002 but said the time is right to move on this Autumn. Speaking to the Scotsman 69-year-old Cowie said the mood still feels 'business as usual' on the island as he said: 'When we finally set sail out the harbour, that's going to be when we feel it after being here all these years,' he said. 'It's not just been a job living and working here. It's been part of our life for the last 23 years. 'But things move on and it's time for us to move on. We have reached a stage where age is against us and we can't do more of what it takes to run a place like Rona. 'We will miss the views.' Rona's natural beauty has remained mostly unchanged despite the booming tourism trade of its neighbouring islands like Skye, as it only has two holiday cottages, a lodge, a bothy, and a separate home built for the couple to live in. There is also a small museum which was constructed out of a ruin at a settlement site and some abandoned Ministry of Defence buildings to the north of the island. (Image: PR) There are no roads and no shops, but a venison larder and butchery have recently been built by Cowie, who has managed the red deer herd. A spokesperson for Ltd Adam Crookshank told the Scotsman: 'The island of Rona has been purchased by Fior Rona Ltd who will look to carry on the excellent work of the previous owners and custodians and will try to ensure that the natural heritage, including the island itself and the marine environment that surrounds it, continues to thrive under their custodianship. 'This will include carrying out baseline surveys to understand the current state of biodiversity and allow for the development of a considered plan to further protect and restore the natural habitats, and to measure progress over time.'
Press and Journal
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Don Cowie assesses Ross County's biggest Premier Sports Cup test - against league rivals Partick Thistle
Manager Don Cowie insists Saturday's must-win showdown with Partick Thistle will show how ready Ross County are for the Championship kick-off. Tuesday's rousing 8-0 rout over League Two visitors Edinburgh City in the Premier Sports Cup – on the back of last weekend's 1-0 win at Championship hosts Queen of the South – means County still have a chance of reaching the last 16. The back-to-back wins followed a 1-1 draw at League Two Stranraer, which ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat at Stair Park. Thistle have won all three of their ties, so have a two-point lead ahead of the weekend's Dingwall tie. The final Group B fixture comes exactly a week before County, relegated from the Premiership in May, kick off their league campaign at Airdrieonians. For four years running, Partick have reached the promotion play-offs but have yet to clinch their place back in the top-flight, following relegation in 2017-18. In 2023, County staged the most remarkable recovery to beat Partick in the play-off final on penalties, after the Glasgow team led by three goals. Now under the sole management of Mark Wilson, Jags fans will expect their side to again be in the promotion race. Cowie reckons that will be a multi-club chase for places in the Premiership. While beating Edinburgh City in such style was pleasing, Cowie knows only the best will do against Partick. He said: 'I think pretty much every team will be a play-off or a title contender because of how competitive the league is. 'We've seen that year after year and Partick have been really consistent to finish in the play-off for the last few years. 'It will be a good test to see where we are, and we'll have to temper Tuesday tonight. 'Edinburgh are a League Two team and now we're going to be facing a Championship team, so we'll see where we really are. 'It was great to get eight goals but Saturday is what really counts now. 'Like we said after the first game in the group, we gave ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb. 'We knew that but we also knew that winning the next three games would give us a real chance of finishing top. 'We've won two and that was always our aim. It will be a different quality of opposition on Saturday against Partick, but we're looking forward to it.' Saturday's win in Dumfries was County's first victory since March, with a major dip in form taking them out of the top-flight via a play-off final loss against Livingston. Cowie hopes his new-look side – with 11 new faces – can get used to winning to gather momentum when the league season gets going. He said: 'We want to build momentum to start the season well, and we want our new players to have that good feeling. 'Winning is a habit and last year it became a struggle at the end because we weren't winning, so we want to get into that mode and that habit again. 'The good sign (from Tuesday) was that even though it was 3-0 at half time, we didn't take our foot off the gas. We kept going and it finished 8-0, and that's the mentality we need to create. 'It would be important for us to get out of the group and finish top, and that's what we're aiming to do.' Defender Akil Wright, who played every Premiership minute for his side last term, sat out the goal feast against Edinburgh but he should be back to face Thistle. Returning midfielder Jamie Lindsay is set for his first County appearance since helping the club win the Championship in 2019. Cowie explained: 'Akil felt a little niggle from the weekend, so we thought it was best to be a bit cautious and leave him out on Tuesday and hope that means he is available for Saturday. 'It was good to see Dylan Smith playing in his natural position, and I thought he played really well too, so that was a real positive. 'Akil will hopefully be back, and I think Jamie Lindsay has a good chance. 'He has only just re-joined us, and he's keen and eager to be involved. I thought tonight was far too soon, but Saturday is still a few days away so I think that's realistic. 'Gary Mackay-Steven is back training with the squad, but I think it will be the first league game before he's back, and Connor Randall will be back with us then as well with the protocol (after a head knock).' Cowie underlined that recruiting another centre half remains a priority in the coming week or so after the early capture of ex-Dundee United defender Declan Gallagher.
Edinburgh Reporter
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Ross County test for Edinburgh City
Edinburgh City make the long trip to Dingwall on Tuesday (19.45pm) as they continue their journey in the Premier Sports Cup. It will be a huge test against Ross County who were relegated from the William Hill Premiership last season, sensationally losing out to fired-up Livingston in the play-off final with the decisive, second-leg, in Dingwall. The Staggies obviously seek an instant return to the top league and the match at the Global Energy Stadium is another step on that road. County come into the game after busy week which has seen them travel over 1,000 miles with trips to Stranraer and then Dumfries to face Queen of the South. They can't wait to have a home game and manager Don Cowie, who once played for Hearts, said post-match at Dumfries that it was a really hard-fought victory. He praised Queen of the South for their performance but added that he noted moments of quality in the first half from his men, but the ball just did not drop for the visitors. The manager felt his men improved in the second-half and he said they then took control of the game. A 'real moment of quality', he said, put The Staggies ahead and then it was about making sure County came away with a win which improved their position in the section. He added: 'I was delighted with the clean sheet and the three points.' Cowie will look for a further three points in Group B against the Citizens. The Staggies record so far? County drew 1-1 at Stranraer in their opener and edged Queen of the South 1-0 with midfielder Jay Henderson netting after 73 minutes. Partick Thistle, who beat City 4-1 at Meadowbank in their opener, currently top the section with six points with County tucked in behind on four. Queen of the South sit in third with three points, all having played two matches. Stranraer are fourth also on three points but they have played three games, the same number as City who prop up the table with two points, but fans must have been were encouraged by a 5-3 shootout success over Stranraer at Meadowbank Stadium on Saturday after the sides were deadlocked at 0-0 at full-time. Manager Michael McIndoe will also be pleased that City had 62 per cent of possession against Stranraer against 38 per cent and he was really encouraged by the showing of his younger players, one of whom, Aidan Burgess, netted the winning penalty. FLASHBACK: Partick Thistle at Meadowbank Stadium in Match One of the Premier Sports Cup. Picture Tommy Lee Like this: Like Related
Press and Journal
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Ross County boss has sharp message for players ahead of Queen of the South cup trip
Don Cowie is urging his Ross County players to demand more from each other to get their season off and running – following a demoralising opening. A 1-1 draw at League Two hosts Stranraer on Saturday ended in a 6-5 penalty shoot-out defeat for Cowie's Championship side as the competitive season started with a bump for the Highlanders in the Premier Sports Cup Group B. With County relegated from the Premiership by Livingston in the play-off final, there has been a huge turnaround in personnel with nine new players in and 12 players out at the Staggies, excluding seven loanees returning to the clubs. There will be a bedding-in period, but County have made their Championship title aim clear – with chairman Roy MacGregor investing heavily to boost their chance of getting back to the top-flight next year. The Staggies' league season starts on August 2 at Airdrie, but next up in cup is a trip to Championship opponents Queen of the South before home ties against Edinburgh City, of League Two, and Partick Thistle from the Championship. The Jags top the League Cup section after the first round of matches following their 4-1 win against Edinburgh, with Stranraer following on two points, County on one, and Queens yet to play. A lacklustre first period at Stanraer was saved by Ronan Hale's goal just before half-time and Tommy Sharp's goal for the hosts arned the shoot-out. Keeper Josh Lane, signed by Stranraer on Saturday morning on loan from Hamilton, made three saves to help seal a Blues bonus-point victory. At half-time, County gaffer Cowie took off Dylan Smith, Arron Lyall and Kieran Phillips, replacing them with Ben Crompton, Adam Emslie and Jordan White. That was a reaction to a poor first period – but Cowie says more players could have been taken off at the midway point. He said: 'I expect so much more from every one of the players. 'From where we want to get to, we need to put demands on one another to up our game – individually and collectively. 'Just because we scored the goal, it didn't change (my view of) what I witnessed in the first half. 'I took three players off, but it could easily have been three more. 'We did get a reaction at the start of the second half. but we were not ruthless enough. 'We didn't take our chances to make it two and – at that stage – you always give the opposition a glimmer of hope to get an equaliser.' Cowie felt the outcome in the shoot-out was an indication of how Stranraer went about their business, chasing the extra point. He said: 'Our strikers (Ronan Hale and Jordan White) missed the first two penalties, which gave Stranraer the opportunity to go on and win it. 'Brad (Foster) made a couple of saves to prolong the shoot-out, but it was probably a reflection of the whole game that Stranraer did just that wee bit more to get the victory in the end.'
