Don Cowie warns Ross County to be prepared for Raith onslaught

Don Cowie has warned Ross County to be ready for a Raith Rovers backlash in the second leg of the cinch Premiership play-off final.

The Staggies claimed a 2-1 first-leg lead at Stark’s Park on Thursday and appear to be well-placed to seal their top-flight survival in Sunday’s showdown in Dingwall.

However, Cowie still feels there is plenty work for his side to do in order to subdue a Raith team he expects to come out all guns blazing.

“It doesn’t take long to score a goal,” said the County boss. “We’ve only got a one-goal lead so it’s still very much all to play for.

“We need to be ready for a Raith team that’s going to come at us. They’re one goal behind so naturally they’re going to want to attack us.”

Cowie feels Raith have players who can pose County problems on Sunday but he hopes the fact they are at home, where they have lost only one of their last eight matches, can help get them over the line against the Championship promotion hopefuls.

“They’re a good team with a lot of good options, especially in midfield and upfront,” he said. “We saw that in their substitutions on Thursday when Josh Mullin, Dylan Easton and Callum Smith came on and gave them something different.

“We’re fully aware of what they possess and it’s about us making sure we deal with that and put our stamp on the game.

“We’re better suited to playing on the front foot and trying to attack. That’s been shown in terms of the results we’ve had at home and we’ll be looking to do that on Sunday.”

Cowie is likely to have an unchanged squad to select from, with Max Sheaf and Scott Allardice still out injured.