Staggies look to support to provide Red hot welcome

County: Dons fans due in numbers but Ferguson wants no comfort zone

Ross County co-manager Steven Ferguson insists Aberdeen must not be allowed to feel at home away from home at Victoria Park tomorrow.

The Dons have sold around 2,000 tickets for their first trip to Dingwall since January 2018, with the match believed to be heading for a sell-out.

Despite Derek McInnes’ men being well-supported, Ferguson hopes his side can use the big crowd as inspiration in the quest to cause an upset.

Ferguson said: “We have a very loyal fanbase, but we’re not big in numbers.

“When Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen come to town, it can very much sound like a home game for these big clubs.

“We don’t expect to outnoise or out-sing these big clubs.

“But the atmosphere itself, whether away supporters or home, is one I know the players here relish.

“Aberdeen are definitely a team to be reckoned with and definitely one of the big boys coming to Dingwall. The fact we will have a full stadium again and a pitch conducive to playing good football should make it a great spectacle for football in this area.

“It is the sort of occasion and atmosphere that can inspire us to go that extra mile to get the outcome you’re looking for.”

Aberdeen, like County, have been spectacularly dismantled by Celtic and Rangers this season.

But the Reds go into this weekend’s match fresh from victories over Hamilton Accies and Kilmarnock.

Ferguson feels the strong response is a hallmark of McInnes’ Pittodrie tenure, adding: “I don’t think you would expect anything less from an Aberdeen team.

“Derek and Tony Docherty have done it over a number of years.

“They know how to win games and how to weather storms.

“When they’re not doing so well, they always seem to manage to navigate through that and come out stronger at the other side.

“It seems to be that pattern at the moment where they’ve had a couple of results they wouldn’t have been pleased with, but the response has been dusting themselves down and winning comfortably in the next couple of games.

“It is one we’re looking at as a very big challenge, but one we embrace.”

County are sixth in the table but have not recorded a league win in their last six games and Ferguson feels his side is still adjusting to the step up from the Championship.

He added: “We feel at the moment we’re doing OK, but we could do a heck of a lot better.

“It is the old school report card – could do better.

“It has been highlighted that we have the worst defensive record in the league.

“That’s true, but the

“We are not expecting to out-noise or out-sing them”

majority of the guys playing in our defensive line were part of the best defensive record in the Championship last year.

“A bit of that is down to the quality in the Premiership.”

Meanwhile, former

Ross County boss Derek Adams has been appointed as the new manager of Morecambe.

The 44-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Shrimps, who are sitting bottom of English League Two.

Adams will be in the stand to watch this weekend’s FA Cup tie against Blackpool.

The former Aberdeen player and Staggies manager had been out of work since being sacked by Plymouth Argyle in April.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME: Steven Ferguson is out to cause a Premiership upset