Don Cowie is proud of his Ross County side for showing defensive qualities in their last three Premiership outings.
An off-day in Perth last month saw the Staggies slip to a 3-0 defeat at St Johnstone, not helped by red cards for Eli Campbell and Charlie Telfer.
Since then, County have tightened up and gone on a three-match unbeaten run.
A 2-1 comeback victory over Kilmarnock at home was followed by a scoreless draw in Dingwall against Hibs last Wednesday.
Saturday’s battling stalemate at St Mirren, helped by goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw’s penalty save, took County to 12 points from their first 12 games, level with their hosts.
Scoring goals is County’s missing link
Cowie’s team sit just outside the top six ahead of this weekend’s trip to Dundee United.
The manager said: “I am really proud of the group and it ended what was a really strong week for us.
“We have gone three games undefeated by taking five points.
“Defensively, we were excellent, and once again, I saw a group of players giving everything for this football club.
“We have wanted to improve our defensive structure. We have seen that in the last two games with two excellent clean sheets.
“There are still aspects we want to improve, in terms of us now scoring, but I felt as the second half went on against St Mirren we had real opportunities to get that winning goal.
“We now face Dundee United, so it’s another difficult game, but we have real belief after taking five points last week.
“It’s about building on that to keep the run going and maintain the momentum.”
Cowie wanted ‘a bit of freshness’ to help striker White
On-loan Watford forward Jack Grieves was promoted to the County starting line-up on Saturday for his fifth start of the season in all competitions.
He looked a handful, but Cowie explained why he felt he needed to bring on Aidan Denholm and Ronan Hale at the start of the second half to link up with Jordan White.
He said: “Jack and Noah (Chilvers) were a big part of what we did in the first half. It was a big ask for them.
“I thought Jordan White was outstanding with the way he dominated St Mirren’s back-line. He caused them real problems throughout the game.
“I just wanted a bit of freshness up there to get in touch with him and feed off him and that’s exactly what Aidan and Ronan did for us.”
Win v United could take Staggies into sixth spot
County have not won an away league game since beating Kilmarnock 1-0 in Ayrshire in September 2023.
If they can win at Dundee United this weekend, it might be enough to take them into the table’s upper half.
Cowie insists, though, picking up draws have helped County keep ahead of the chasing pack.
He added: “It’s a tight league and, if you can win games, three points can have a massive bearing on the table. It allows teams to jump considerably within that.
“We need to strive for that, but at the same time, the single points you pick up along the way can have a big impact, too.”
After facing United, the international action takes over – with County returning to league duties at home to Motherwell on November 23, one week before a trip to leaders and unbeaten defending champions Celtic.
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