Don Cowie endorses Kilmarnock’s long-term plan to rip up their artificial pitch – but he insists Ross County will have no excuses at Rugby Park this weekend.
The Staggies open their post-split fixtures with a trip to Ayrshire, having triumphed in all three meetings with Derek McInnes’ side this season.
That included a 1-0 victory when they last made the trip to Killie in January, courtesy of George Harmon’s late winner.
Killie have had an artificial surface in place since 2014, but have signalled their intention to restore a grass pitch at the end of next season.
Cowie insists he is supportive of a move to make grass surfaces a requirement for Scottish Premiership football.
He said: “We play in the elite level of football in our country, and I don’t think it’s something that happens too often in other countries.
“It’s such a change, it’s so different, and Kilmarnock’s home record in the last few years has shown how much of an advantage it can be for them in terms of getting results.
“It was allowed, so you just deal with it. We have gone to Livingston and Hamilton in years gone by, and you need to recognise that’s where we are in the Scottish game.
“If that change is going to happen in the foreseeable future, then I think it’s the right thing to do.”
County will leave no stone unturned ahead of Kilmarnock trip
While acknowledging the surfaces are not universally popular across the game, Cowie insists his squad is well prepared to make the transition this weekend.
Cowie says his squad have made use of their all-weather training facilities in Dingwall in advance of Saturday’s trip.
He added: “Players like the same – humans do. They like habit, and when you train on grass 95% of the year going into every other game, and then you flip and go on to an artificial surface, your body is wondering what’s going on.
“You might feel a little bit uncomfortable, but you’ve got to try and push that away and deal with it.
“Some people who have had historical injuries mean that playing on that surface isn’t possible. I know people who won’t even step on to an artificial surface because of what’s happened.
“I believe we’ve got a group that is comfortable playing on it. We have an outdoor astroturf we can train on, and in the winter we have an indoor one, so it’s definitely not an excuse for us when we come up against these games.”
Staggies gearing up for tightly-contested bottom-half run in
The two sides go into the match level on points, with Killie ahead on goal difference.
They are both a point ahead of Dundee, who occupy the relegation play-off spot at present.
With County six points clear of bottom side St Johnstone, but five points adrift of seventh-placed Hearts, Cowie insists he has never known the bottom-six to be as tight at this stage of the campaign.
Cowie added: “It’s a reflection of the league throughout the season really.
“The margins are so tight. Had we beaten St Mirren, then all of a sudden they are in a situation where they’re in a dogfight with five other teams in the bottom half of the table.
“It is very fine margins and I’m sure it’s going to go right to the wire just because of the competitiveness of it, how tight it is and what’s at stake.
“There’s still that real belief that what we’ve got as a football club and the players that we’ve got, that we’ve got as good an opportunity as any other team that’s in the bottom six to finish the season strongly.”
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