Ross County predator Ronan Hale used Northern Ireland international disappointment to fuel his surge in form back in Scotland’s Premiership
Don Cowie reckons Ronan Hale has turned international misery into domestic bliss.
The Ross County striker was thrilled to be called into Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland squad for the March friendlies against Switzerland and Sweden.
But he was then disappointed to be overlooked for both matches, remaining unused on the bench as the province drew 1-1 with the Swiss at Windsor Park then lost 5-1 to the Swedes in Solna.
Cowie is convinced more chances on the international stage will come for Hale as impressive form builds, and has been thrilled by the 26-year-old’s reaction to the setback back in Dingwall.
With four goals in the last six matches – and a very commendable 16 in all this season – County in troubled times at least have a reliable hitman to turn to, and not just because of his goals.
Against Motherwell, Hale was often County’s driving force, fiercely competitive and mentally in the zone – so much so that he netted an incredible disallowed second goal from a tight angle, not realising the ball had already gone out of play.
The Staggies’ manager Cowie said: “Over the last four or five weeks, Ronan has been a real bright spot for us.
“He just thrives on scoring goals. It just means everything to him and you can just see him getting more and more confident as each week goes by, given the goals he is scoring.
“He was a bit disappointed for a spell prior to that. He went away with Northern Ireland and didn’t manage to get his first cap, but the message from us was ‘keep performing well for Ross County’.
“If so, we know he will get those opportunities again - that first cap will come.
“So he has got his head down and worked hard. You can see how much it means to him out there on the pitch and, for us as a team, having him in fine form and scoring goals is a real positive.”
While Cowie was happy to talk up Hale and Sunday’s other stand-out performer, Michee Efete, he knows a team effort will be needed to salvage Premiership status.
The last two draws against Dundee and Motherwell broke a run of seven straight defeats, and both games featured powerful first half displays from County.
Cowie reckons those two 45 minutes must be the template for a crucial 90-minute first leg display in Livingston.
He stressed: “We’re speaking about Ronan just now, but it is about the collective. It is about everyone performing at a high level to get us through the tie.
“In the first half on Sunday, everyone played at a high level - everyone was seven out of 10 or beyond.
“Whereas in the second half, we took a step back and looked a bit disjointed. You see the negative of not being as connected as a team.
“That’s been the message to the players today, with a focus on the things we did well on Sunday and how we rectify that change of momentum.”
Cowie acknowledges that play-off know-how after successive escapes against Partick and Raith in the last two years can be useful this time around.
He said: “The reality is we’ve been in this position before and we know that, in order to achieve what we want to achieve, we have to go and earn it.
“We’ve done it in different manners in the last two years.
“Against Partick, it came down to a 20-minute period that allowed us to get the job done.
“Last year on paper it looked like it was very comfortable given the scoreline, but they were still two very challenging games.
“It just shows that, no matter what, you have to earn the right to win.
“When it is two legs, ultimately the better team of the two will come out on top.
“It’s not an isolated game where maybe a decision can go against you.
“There’s no excuses. It is just about going and getting the job done.
“It is never dead. With our experience as a footballer club, we know momentum can swing very quickly.”
Goalkeeper Jordan Amissah has quickly shaken off the knock he suffered against Motherwell and has been in full training ahead of the Almondvale trip.
Cowie added: “Regardless of what we’re looking to achieve, the aim at the start of the season is to still be a Premiership club.
“We don’t want to be doing it every year through a play-off, but that is what it is.
“You see the celebratory scenes after the last two play-offs and that’s just because it means so much to the players, the staff, the fans, and it is so important to keep Premiership football in the Highlands.
“We enjoy having the biggest clubs in the country travelling up here every second week and that’s the challenge again - to bring that to the supporters come Monday night.”
