Ross County manager Don Cowie aims to make sure opposition teams dread making the journey to Dingwall this season.
The Staggies play their first home game of the new Premiership campaign when Dundee United make the trip to Victoria Park on Saturday.
Cowie is aiming to continue a strong home record since he initially took interim charge in February.
Of the nine home games he took charge of before the end of the campaign the Staggies recorded five victories, losing just once.
The highlight was a historic first win over Rangers in April, while they also pulled off fine triumphs over Hearts and Hibernian on their way to sealing top-flight safety.
Cowie is determined to lay down an early marker at home, when the Staggies face Jim Goodwin’s men this weekend.
He said: “We want to make this a really hard place to come.
“Since I first came into football at Ross County, people talked about the long journey up here.
“It was about making it as difficult as possible, and not wanting teams to enjoy that journey.
“We managed to do that last year. We got some really big results early on, which gave us real confidence.
“I think the players have that real comfortable feel when they play at home, and it’s about trying to maintain that and build on that.
“It can have a huge impact on where you end up, come the end of the season.”
Staggies can use Highlands to their advantage
The geographical landscape of Scottish football dictates that County are far removed from the remainder of their Premiership opponents.
Cowie says the Staggies must look to use their Highland location to their advantage, with the County boss signalling a clear intent to get on the front foot in an effort to get the Dingwall faithful behind them.
He added: “In most countries, there’s a lot of travelling.
“I played in England and you were going far for every away game.
“The uniqueness of Scotland is that, bar maybe Aberdeen, for most teams we are the one game that the opposition will maybe stay overnight for.
“It’s maybe just a bit different from what their normal routine is.
“It’s about trying to take advantage of them maybe feeling slightly out of their comfort zone, making sure we attack the game and show real energy and be positive.”
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