Ross County 1-4 Celtic – “I feel for the boys in terms of the scoreline,” Don Cowie

The Celtic Star

·12 Januari 2025

Ross County 1-4 Celtic – “I feel for the boys in terms of the scoreline,” Don Cowie

Ross County manager Don Cowie gave his assessment of his side’s 4-1 defeat to Celtic in Dingwall yesterday afternoon…

Celtic had to remain patient after a combination of solid defensive work from County and top-class goalkeeping from Jordan Amissah in the Staggies net.

Kyogo’s tidy opener was cancelled out by Jordan White’s equaliser from the penalty spot in the second half. Three goals in 19 minutes, and two in stoppage time courtesy of midfield duo Arne Engels and Luke McCowan sealed the points for Brendan Rodgers’ side who have now extended their lead over theRangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership league table to 18 points.

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Alistair Johnston concedes the penalty. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Ross County slump to 10th in a congested table and a Hearts win at Pittodrie today would see the Staggies slip into the relegation play-off position despite accumulating a solid total of 25 points after 10 games.

Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Don Cowie felt the scoreline was a harsh one for his players.

Scoreline harsh on his players reckons Don Cowie

Brendan Rodgers and Don Cowie. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Don, what is your assessment on that in the end?

Don Cowie: “I feel for the boys in terms of the scoreline. I spoke about before the game, a nearly performance, you get to level 1-1 with 10 minutes to go and it’s can you see that through? So, disappointed we concede two goals in stoppage time because I seen a group of players putting their bodies on the line and to prevent Celtic from scoring. I thought big Jordan was excellent in net. I don’t think he quite deserved to concede the four goals, but it is what it is, and we accept that and we move on.’

Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: At half-time what was your thinking in making those changes and then you had to make the change early in the second-half with the injury to Kaspar Lopata, what was the thinking overall?

Don Cowie: “Well, when you play Celtic, you spend a lot of time out of possession so it’s difficult, its intense, so I just wanted a bit of freshness up there. Jordan White always gives you that physicality and allows you to get up the pitch aerially, and I thought him and Kieran [Phillips] could cause a bit of problems in that sense. They managed to do that, and we get a goal because of it but like I said, disappointed not to hang on in the end.”

Kasper Schmeichel. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Is that something you have to take the positives from, or you can’t think that you ‘nearly’ got a result against Celtic?

Don Cowie: “Yeah, we don’t want to be a ‘nearly’ team, as I said before the game, you recognise you’re playing the best team in the country, its going to be difficult. But, when you get close with 10 minutes to go, in the position you want to be in in terms of right in the game and even at 2-1 you’re still there, you just want that moment that will give you that positive result. The fact we let the game really get away from us in terms of the scoreline is frustrating, but again I’m really proud of the effort and commitment I’m seeing from the players.”

Ross County keeper Jordan Amissah with Referee Matthew MacDermid. Amissah helped keep the score down. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: You mentioned Jordan [Amissah] in goal, how much stability has he brought and ability too?

Don Cowie: “Well, he came in at a really difficult time. Ross Laidlaw has been a standout performer for this club over a number of years. He’s got a bad of injury that has kept him out for a period of time. We signed Jordan [Amissah] on a short-term contract initially for a month, he got his opportunity, and he definitely grabbed it by both hands, and he has definitely given us that stability and today was another sign of what he is capable of doing.”

🦌 "I feel for the boys in terms of the scoreline" Don Cowie reacts to Ross County's 4-1 home defeat to Celtic ⤵️
– Sabtu, 11 Januari 2025

Conor Spence

Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

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Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

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