Don Cowie confirmed as Ross County manager after Staggies see off Raith Rovers in play-off final to secure Premiership status
Don Cowie could not hide his pride at leading Ross County to Premiership safety in the play-offs against Raith Rovers.
A comfortbale 4-0 win on the day meant a 6-1 win on aggregate, ensuring the Staggies will remain in the top flight next season.
Club chairman Roy MacGregor confirmed after the full-time whistle that Don Cowie would be the man to lead County forward on a permanent basis, revealing: “Don was told before he got the job that it was his no matter what happened.
“I didn’t want the interruption of speaking to his agent and all that during an important time, so we just left it the way it was.
“I have known him for a long time, since he was nine years old, so to watch his journey, being a local boy, going away to play for Scotland then coming back, it has been fabulous.
“I made a mistake because he wanted the job when Malky left but I didn’t think it was fair to put him into that at the time. I got it wrong. So I am delighted for him.
“He has a bond with the players, him being a local boy has been important for Ross County."
Cowie himself commented: “What was said was that the chairman saw me as the person to take this club forward.
“We were aligned in not thinking that needed to be the focus, because we didn’t need any distractions.
“The chairman has shown a lot of belief in me, and he has stated that he sees me being the person to take the club forward.
“At any club you need to have a bigger conversation about how that looks going forward, and we’ll have that.
“I’ve said all along that I want to be a manager, and I felt I was ready three months ago. Since then that belief I have in myself has only strengthened, and this is a club I have a lot of affection for, so I don’t see any issues there.”
Simon Murray was once again the star man against Raith, scoring twice to help the Staggies over the line.
That brought his personal tally to 22 goals for the season across all competitions, and Cowie hailed the talisman as having one of the best seasons of his career.
“He’s been impressive the whole season, but it’s about the whole group,” Cowie said.
“I said when I came into this role that it’s about the collective, and Simon will be the first to admit what he has done this year has been down to his teammates.
“I see no reason why he won’t be at this club next season. He has had probably the best season of his career and he’s enjoying being at this football club.”
Reflecting on the situation County found themselves in, Cowie pointed to the calmness that has been instilled in Dingwall over recent months as a big reason they stayed up – but admits they cannot afford to find themselves fighting relegation for a third year in-a-row.
“We understand the fight that we have every year,” Cowie added.
“We punch above our weight to be in the top league in Scotland, and we embrace that.
“It’s challenging, so there are times you find yourself in the play-of spot, but we need to improve.
“The more you’re down there, eventually you will fall, and it’s up to me now to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“We were in a very precarious position when I came in to this role.
“The spotlight was on us, and early on we played Livingston where if they beat us we would have been level on points.
“I needed calmness, and the football club to come together, and ultimately that’s what has happened.
“We could have missed the play-off, but it wasn’t to be, and the character the players have shown over the last two games makes me really proud.”
