Ross County’s prospects of finishing in the top-six took a severe blow when they fell to defeat against Dundee United at Victoria Park on Sunday.
With two games remaining before the split, County sit ninth in the Premiership table.
They are four points adrift of Hearts who occupy sixth position, while they also trail St Mirren and Motherwell by three points.
It has left Don Cowie’s men in something of a middle ground – as they have a three-point advantage on 10th placed Kilmarnock below them, while they are a further point ahead of Dundee in the relegation play-off spot.
While the surest way for County to avoid any bottom of the table drama is to find a way into the top six, the sheer number of teams competing for the final available spot renders this outcome highly unlikely.
We look at the permutations required for County to make an improbable late surge…
With two matchdays remaining, it goes without saying the Staggies require to win their two remaining matches against Aberdeen and St Mirren to stand any chance.
Even if other results were to go their way, a win and a draw would not be sufficient to bridge the four-point gap below Hearts – who are 21 goals better off.
Current Standings
6th – Hearts – 39 points
7th – St Mirren – 38 points
8th – Motherwell – 38 points
9th – Ross County – 35 points
The Staggies will know whether they have any lingering possibility of keeping the issue live by close of play this weekend – with the key being for them to get back within touching distance of all three teams going into the final round of pre-split fixtures.
Let’s look at what is required from this weekend’s round of Premiership matches.
Matchday 32:
Dundee v St Mirren – Dundee win, or draw
Kilmarnock v Motherwell – Kilmarnock win, or draw
Ross County v Aberdeen – Ross County win
Hearts v Dundee United – Dundee United win
While draws for St Mirren and Motherwell would suffice for the Staggies this weekend, County NEED Hearts to lose to Dundee United – They cannot afford for the Jambos to move within a point of the golden 41-point mark the Staggies are aiming for (we will discover why shortly).
Should any combination of the above results come to fruition, it would mean County could only trail any of the other teams by a maximum of one point going into the last round of games.
Although it is a long shot to even reach this stage, should it happen the equation would become a lot more simple given that the four teams involved are fighting it out across just two games.
The Staggies make the trip to St Mirren, which allows them to take control of the fate of one of their top-six rivals should they get the win they need.
Should that happen, the necessary outcome from Motherwell’s game against Hearts would be a draw – which would in itself guarantee County’s pathway to top-six football.
The Staggies have only finished in the top-half on three previous occasions – under Derek Adams, Jim McIntyre and most recently Malky Mackay in 2022.
Although it went down to the final day three years ago, it would surely rank as the most dramatic yet if Cowie is to add his name to that list.
Either way, the permutations will become far clearer by the end of this weekend.
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