Ross County

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Ross County midfielder Max Sheaf will play no further part this season after suffering "a significant muscle injury" in training, the Dingwall club have announced.

In an injury update posted on the official club website, County say defender Will Nightingale and midfielder Scott Allardice could feature in the remaining five league games as they continue their injury rehab.

Meanwhile, Ross Callachan is in line to return to full training "in the coming weeks" after rupturing his ACL in April 2023.

Ross County interim boss Don Cowie urges his players to leave their recent win over Rangers behind them as they target top flight survival. (Press and Journal - subscription), external

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Ross County have been dealt a blow with midfielder Max Sheaf suffering a "pretty significant" muscle injury, manager Don Cowie confirms.

The 24-year-old has featured 19 times in his debut season for County, having signed last summer.

But the former Hull City midfielder is a doubt for the remainder of the campaign after picking up a serious injury last week.

Cowie will be boosted, however, by the return of left-back Josh Reid for Saturday's trip to Livingston.

The County boss is challenging his side, who have only won one league game on the road this season, to improve their away form.

Victory in West Lothian would confirm Livingston's relegation and potentially move Cowie's side out of the relegation play-off place.

"It's about consistency," Cowie said. "We need to do better away from home and we're looking to do that this week."

"Every time you play Livingston it's a challenge. It's not quite gone for them this season, but they'll still give everything to stay in this league.

"We have to be ready and prepared for that."

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Don Cowie has been speaking to the media before his Ross County side travel to Livingston on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Cowie says the squad are "feeling really positive" after their win against Rangers last time out, but "that’s gone now" and the team need "to look forward" to a "very difficult game" at Livingston.

• The County boss says his players have shown they are "capable of beating anyone" on their day, but it is now "about consistency" as they aim to "do better away from home".

• On facing bottom-side Livingston, Cowie adds: "Every time you play them it’s a challenge, they’ll still give everything to stay in this league".

• On whether guiding County to survival would strengthen his case to become permanent manager, Cowie says: "I'm not focussing on that, it’s not about me or anyone else".

• Cowie confirms Josh Reid is back in full training but Max Sheaf has suffered a "pretty significant" muscle injury.

Five crucial matches remain as Ross County look to secure Premiership football for another season.

Don Cowie has managed to turn the Global Energy Stadium into a fortress as his side has picked up three wins and two draws during his first five home matches.

The 11 points gained in those five matches is the same amount of points Cowie’s two predecessors, Malky Mackay and Derek Adams, picked up across the previous eleven home matches this season.

If the Staggies can maintain that kind of form in Dingwall, they’ll be confident they can pick up more points than they’ll lose.

But County will be keen to improve their away form before the end of the season as they face journeys down the A9 to face Livingston and St Johnstone to round off their post-split fixtures.

The Staggies are sandwiched between both sides in the table so any points the Dingwall side can pick up on their travels wouldn’t just boost their survival bid, it would also damage their rivals' bid.

A win against Kilmarnock in September remains County’s only away victory in the Premiership this season. The Staggies are yet to pick up a point on the road under Cowie, but Saturday’s match against a lowly Livingston side looks like an excellent opportunity to end their away-day hoodoo.

A victory for County would finally seal Livingston’s fate and officially relegate them from the Premiership. Victory could also see the Dingwall side jump above St Johnstone in the table and move within two points of Aberdeen should results elsewhere go in their favour.

Saturday is an opportunity to kick off the split with a huge three points and pile the pressure on the sides above them that County can’t afford to miss.

Ross Morren can be found on The County Corner., external

We asked you which of Ross County's out-of-contract plauers you'd be keen to keep in Dingwall next season.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Jim: Simon Murray, Josh Sims and George Harmon have all established themselves. I'd love all three to sign a new contract, Sims may want a move back south now he's proved his fitness. I think he could be special next season. Dylan Smith is still young and learning. Would benefit in staying if he's going to get more game time. Jordan Tillson and Ross Callachan need to be moved on.

Anon: Keep Don Cowie!

With several players out of contract in the summer, clubs up and down the country are considering who they want to be involved next season.

Top scorer Simon Murray's deal is set to expire, alongside other names such as Josh Sims, George Harmon, Michee Efete, Dylan Smith, Jordan Tillson and Ross Callachan.

Who would you like to keep, and who would you be happy to wave goodbye to?

Let us know.

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Ross County will end their Scottish Premiership season with the visit of fellow relegation play-off contenders Aberdeen.

Don Cowie's side face a trip to current 10th-placed side St Johnstone four days earlier in what could be a huge week for the Staggies' survival hopes.

They open their bottom-six fixtures by travelling to Livingston, before welcoming Hibs and Motherwell to Dingwall.

Ross County's post-split fixtures (All times BST)

• Livingston (A) - Saturday, 27 April 15:00

• Hibernian (H) - Saturday, 4 May 15:00

• Motherwell (H) - Saturday, 11 May 15:00

• St Johnstone (A) - Wednesday, 15 May 19:45

• Aberdeen (H) - Sunday, 19 May 15:00

Sunday 14 April 2024 is a day that will live long in the memory of every associated with Ross County Football Club.

The Staggies’ incredible 3-2 over Rangers secured the club’s first ever victory over the Ibrox side and earned a monumental three points at a crucial stage of the season.

In the previous twenty-four meetings between Ross County and Rangers, the Dingwall side had failed to win any of them and found themselves on the losing side on 20 occasions.

The question amongst Staggies fans pre-match was could it be 25th time’s the charm?

It was one of the best all-round performances I’ve seen from Ross County. The goalscorers will take a lot of the headlines, but the performance was epitomised by Jack Baldwin, who showed incredible character to recover from the early own goal to lead his side by example.

Don Cowie has already had his name carved into Ross County’s history due to the achievements in his playing career, but he’s now managed to do it in the early stages of his managerial career too as he’s become the first Ross County manager to secure a win over Rangers.

The victory could also go a long way to earning Cowie the manager's job on a permanent basis.

Ross Morren can be found on The County Corner, external.

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Ross County's rousing win over Rangers could breathe new life into their survival bid, says former Staggies defender Richard Foster.

"To beat Rangers the game before the league splits, it's a huge result. A massive momentum shifter," Foster told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The three points is to the be all and end all. It's at the business end of the season. You need to win points to stay in the league.

"If Don Cowie gets that level of performance for the next five games, then Ross County will win more games than they'll lose and they'll comfortably stay in the league.

"I think Ross County's issue this season has been the fluctuation in terms of the performance level. But if I'm a Ross County fan, if I'm in that Ross County dressing room, if I'm Don Cowie, I'm looking at all these pleasing aspects going, 'we've just beaten, albeit not 100%, but it's still a good Rangers side'.

"They're still full of qualities. They're still a team that up until that point were kind of odds on favourites to probably go and win the title, so it's a huge performance against a good side and that can only give them confidence.

"If you look at the league table now, they're a point behind St. Johnstone, they're five points behind Aberdeen.

"If they play either one of those teams in the first round of the split fixtures and they manage to win that and it could be chaos in that bottom six."

After a historic win over Rangers, it's hardly surprising Ross County make up so much of my team of the week.

Simon Murray continued his wonderful season with another goal and boundless energy that kept the Rangers backline busy at all times.

It was the guile of Josh Sims that really stood out, as he scored what proved to be the winner with a close-range finish.

Captain Jack Baldwin was a true warrior at the back, repelling everything the visitors threw at him with an air of assurance.

And Hearts-bound Yan Dhanda showed his talents with a commanding display in the middle of the park, dictating play for Don Cowie's side.

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Ross County showed more "hunger" and "intensity" than Rangers as they motored to their first ever win over the Ibrox side.

That's according to former Staggies boss John Robertson, who told BBC Sportsound the victory was entirely merited for the Dingwall side.

"No one watching on TV, or here in the stadium, could say Ross County didn't deserve to win," he said.

"It was a backs-to-the-wall performance. You have to ride your luck, dig in, put bodies on the line. They did that at times, but they also played with composure, they knocked the ball about well.

"Dhanda and Sims played in the pockets and caused the Rangers full backs all sorts of problems. Murray didn't give Souttar or Goldson a minute all day.

"The big thing today was the lack of desire in the Rangers team today. That is the worrying thing. You can see it in the second goal. Harmon has run the length of the park to get there.

"That was the desire, hunger, energy and intensity that every County player brought today."

We asked for your thoughts after Ross County made history with a first ever win of title-chasing Rangers.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Kyle: Victoria Park becoming a fortress again like our early Premiership seasons. Good sign for games to come. Cowie deserves the job long term.

Jim: All positives. Whole team stood up to Rangers today and made them look well below their league position. We broke well, caused the Rangers defence problems all game and took our goals well. Hopefully that quality and momentum will carry into the post-split fixtures.

Evan: Probably the greatest win in the Staggies' history. This proud Highlands club deserves to stay in the Premiership.

Anon: Today proved that Don Cowie should be given the manager's job permanently. The tactics were spot on and they played the way Don used to play, ball on the ground and quick passing. Great to watch.

Ronnie: Best all-round performance for a long time. Bit nervy at the end but thought we just about deserved the win. Could be a massive thre points, and probably would have been better for us if the split games were next week, rather than in a fortnight. Very proud Staggie.

Rob: I plan to enjoy this for a while, we waited long enough!

John: This has been coming for a while. This squad has huge belief and Don Cowie has nurtured that belief. Onwards and upwards.

Ron: Great performance & result. Thoroughly deserved first victory over the mighty Rangers (not so mighty on the day). Cowie was tactically astute & I hope he has guaranteed an attractive job offer from the chairman. Excellent individual performances, but truly a team win. Steve Clarke should widen his horizons and consider Laidlaw as one of his options

Pat Nevin and Richard Foster join Liam McLeod to pick over the bones of another incredible weekend of Scottish football drama.

They look back on Ross County’s historic victory over Rangers and discuss what impact it could have at both ends of the table.

They also assess the jobs done by Tony Docherty and Nick Montgomery as Dundee secure their place in the top 6 at the expense of Hibs and Motherwell.

Listen to today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast here.

Don Cowie says Rangers manager Philippe Clement apologised for not shaking his hand immediately following Ross County's shock win. (Scottish Sun)

Clement explained his reasoning behind not shaking hands with Cowie straight after the match by saying he wanted to think of how he would address his players after Rangers' defeat. (Daily Record)

Clement suggested the on-going Dens Park pitch saga and his side's "really, really strange preparation" were possible factors in Rangers' first defeat to Ross County. (The Scotsman)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

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Ross County's xG value of 2.96 in their historic win over Rangers is by far the highest any team have had against the Ibrox side this season.

Celtic put up 1.96 last weekend in the 3-3 derby draw, and Aberdeen's xG was 1.62 in their 3-1 win at Ibrox back in September.

It's also the most xG Rangers have conceded in a single game since Opta started collecting Scottish Premiership data in 2019-20.

Were you at the Global Energy Stadium for Ross County's 3-2 win over Rangers or watch it on TV?

We'd love to hear your reaction here.

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Ross County interim manager Don Cowie thought his side thoroughly deserved their win over title hopefuls Rangers in Dingwall.

"I'm delighted for the whole football club," he tells BBC Scotland. "It was built upon a very good team performance.

"In the first half, I thought we deserved a bit more in terms of what we put in. The message at half time was to keep that going, build on it and be positive.

"We started the second half excellently, you then get a bit nervous at the end, but I'm just delighted for everyone. It's a big three points for us."

On the run-in, Cowie adds: "We have to take real belief. What we get is three points, nothing more, but on top of that we have to take belief and confidence.

"We have five very important games coming up. We've got a two week break. We'll enjoy tonight as it's not often you beat Rangers, but we then need to focus on those games."

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Clive Lindsay, BBC Scotland Sport

Ross County went into the game against title hopefuls Rangers having only won once in six outings, but they remain unbeaten in their latest five home games and you could see why.

They were not daunted by the stature of the visitors and their record against them, taking the game to a side displaying a frailty that belied their status as title contenders.

County manager Don Cowie's changes to his starting line-up worked to perfection, with George Harmon, Josh Sims and Yan Dhanda in particular injecting a pace and sharpness that had the visiting defence looking well off the pace and Ross Laidlaw in inspired form in goal.

More displays like this and County are certainly capable of avoiding a relegation play-off.

More performances like this, when they squandered the first of two games in hand, and Rangers' hopes of catching a Celtic side who, as manager Brendan Rodgers mentioned on Saturday, come alive in the title run-in will quickly disappear.

They looked disjointed, error strewn, all too easily penetrated at the back and lacking a killer touch up front - hardly the characteristics of a title-winning team.

Meanwhile, manager Philippe Clement may now regret his decision to rotate his squad to give game time to some players who failed to live up to the big occasion and they will now likely have to win at Celtic Park in the final derby of the season if they are to keep their title dream alive.