'County go from highest of highs to lowest of lows'

Ross County fans have experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in their last two matches.

The Staggies received plenty of plaudits in the aftermath of their 3-2 win over Rangers two weeks ago. They looked dangerous going forward, solid defensively and outfought the Glasgow side all over the park in what was labelled as County’s best 90-minute performance since Don Cowie was appointed interim manager.

The question among County fans travelling down to West Lothian on Saturday was if their side could match those performance levels against a Livingston side 12 points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Unfortunately, the answer was no.

From the start of the match, the Staggies looked like a shadow of the side which put one of the title contenders to the sword last time out. This time, it was County who were being outfought all over the park as Livingston didn’t give them any time to settle into the match.

Since Cowie’s appointment back in February, he’s often reiterated the need to cut out lapses in concentration and individual mistakes defensively which have put the Staggies on the back foot in matches and cost them potential points away from home. The opening goal came from yet another defensive mistake.

County failed to respond after that early blow and things were only going to get worse. They huffed and puffed in the final stages of the match and tested Shamal George on a few occasions but it was too little, too late.

Livingston comfortably saw out the remainder of the match to cut the gap and send the County fans home bitterly disappointed. It emphasised how quickly football can change.

Saturday’s defeat made it 16 away league matches without a win, with seven defeats in a row. One of the few positives from Saturday is three of County’s four remaining matches this season are in Dingwall, where the Staggies have gone five matches unbeaten under Cowie.

Based on the recent performances and results, the players will believe they can pick up points against any team travelling to the Highlands, starting with Hibernian on Saturday.

Ross Morren can be found on The County Corner.