COWIE’S HAPPY RETURN
Late equaliser makes it a home debut to remember for County birthday boy
IT WAS Don Cowie’s 37th birthday and a longawaited first home start for his boyhood club in the Premiership but, to be honest, things weren’t going to plan.
In the dying embers of their clash with Saints, Ross County were staring at a defeat that would have set alarm bells ringing in and around Dingwall.
Back where it all started for him as a schoolboy, Cowie had always dreamed of walking out with the Staggies at Victoria Park in the top flight, but this ending was not in the script.
As it happened, five added stoppage-time minutes and a classic bit of Billy Mckay finishing were all it took to salvage the situation and make it an occasion to remember.
The veteran former Scotland, Hearts, Cardiff City and Watford star has shaken off nine months of injury torment to return to action in Scotland’s top league.
He admits there were dark times when he doubted it was possible. But this last-gasp comeback made all the long struggles with his knee worthwhile.
And the Strathpeffer-raised midfielder, whose dad Don senior served as County assistant boss under Bobby Wilson, remains hungry for more.
‘It was massive not to lose,’ said Cowie. ‘Going into stoppage-time 1-0 down and then getting an equaliser, the emotion is huge.
‘Two teams below us, Hearts and Hamilton, were playing and you come off the park to hear that they’ve drawn…it could be huge come the end of the season.
‘We didn’t play great. The conditions were horrendous, but sometimes it just comes down to pure character.
‘We were down to ten men and Coll Donaldson took a horrendous one to the eye, but we kept going and somehow managed to get a draw. It’s big for us, but we need to build on it. It’s not through the want of trying, but we really do need to improve.
‘Today, we kept pushing and, luckily, Billy was in the position he’s made a career out of to get us a great point. The emotions in the dressing room were enjoyment, relief — the lot put together.’
As for his own painstaking steps to recovery, Cowie — who doubles as County’s Under-18s coach — summed up exactly what it meant to return.
He stressed: ‘For me, to be back playing is massive. To be part of this club — it’s something I’ve been brought up with. It’s taken me to the age of 37 to make my first competitive start for them in the Premiership at home.
‘I’ve got two managers here who have shown tremendous faith in me and, as long as I can help them in any way, I’ll be delighted.
‘Today is one that I will always remember and I’m delighted we didn’t lose.
‘The matches have come a lot quicker for me than I thought after being out for nine months, but that is down to the management’s faith that I can make an impact in and around the team.
‘Those nine months were tough, but I stuck at it. These days are the kind of feelings that you don’t get a lot, so you have to make the most of them when they come. I did doubt, at times, that it would come again for me — at seven or eight months you do wonder if your time is up.
‘But not once did anyone at the club doubt me or question me. They kept me going. It’s great to be involved again and I just treat every training session and every game as a bonus.’
If sheer character counts for anything, Ross County will survive this season in the Premiership.
But in atrocious conditions, and in a downpour that made it tough on both sides, it was St Johnstone who initially adjusted best, playing some fine football in the first half.
They might have had the points sewn up well before the break, although County had the odd moment, with Josh Mullin’s tight-angled strike hitting Zander Clark and the post before ricocheting away.
Former Hibernian striker Oli Shaw also forced a diving parry by Clark from 20 yards.
But Tommy Wright’s side, playing with confidence after a three-game winning streak, took the lead in the 33rd-minute when Stevie May played a perfect one-two with Chris Kane.
The latter played May in behind the home defence and the forward cut his shot into the left corner of the County net for his sixth goal of the season.
Saints were far less of a threat in the second half, however, and County kept battling.
Late chances might have sealed it for the Perth side, but they were squandered and then Mckay, in trademark fashion, slid in to meet a Mullin cross and score with virtually the last kick.
It was a sickener for Saints, although they remain upwardlymobile in the table and very much pressing for top-six football after surviving what was a terrible start to the campaign.
Perth striker Kane summed it up, saying: ‘We feel hard done to after controlling the first half massively.
‘Then, in the second half, they switched on to what we were doing and gave us fewer chances.
‘But they didn’t create anything themselves, so all the boys are hugely disappointed.
‘We’ve been playing well and getting results, but this brings us back down a bit and it’s frustrating.’