Don Cowie’s men excelled in a 2-1 win over in-form Motherwell on Saturday; our reporter Keith Cook details the main talking points.
Nisbet gets off the mark.
Josh Nisbet nabbed his first goal for The Staggies with a wonderful effort from the edge of the area that curled into the top corner. The charismatic Aussie had been talking during the week about wanting to add more goals and assists to his game and did exactly that Saturday.
“I didn’t hit it as cleanly as I would’ve liked. I wanted a little more power on it, but I was aiming for that corner. But if I keep that up, I’ll be doing alright”
The Australian is a real touch of class in the middle of the park for County, for years, it has felt like they’ve lacked a creative midfielder able to get their foot on the ball and pick a pass, but with Nisbet, it seems they have found their man. His ability to escape tight areas of the pitch is evident, and he is always looking to play the ball forward.
Whilst only arriving in the summer, Nisbet believes he is starting to find his feet.
He said: “Tonight was a bit different…it was very cold! But I’m starting to get used to the conditions, but yeah, I’m finding my feet, and hopefully, the performances will come”
Noah Chilvers excels
The all-action midfielder was shown on Saturday and would been a worthy man of the match if not for Josh Nisbet’s strikes. After being left out of the loss at Dundee Utd, the Englishman played as if he had a point to prove, covering every blade of grass.
It was his effort that sparked County into life in the first half, driving into the box and firing a fierce shot towards the Well’ goal changed the atmosphere in the stadium and rallied the fans in what was becoming a stop-start affair.
His assist for Ronan Hale in the second half gave County the lead, and manager Don Cowie praised his attacking ability.
Cowie said: “Noah was terrific. He really drove the team on; it was his shot that gave everyone that lift. He can be a real threat, and it’s about replicating that on a consistent basis.”
Hale tops of the charts
Ronan Hale climbed his way to joint top of the SPFL scoring charts on Saturday, his strike minutes into the second half gives him 5 goals for the season.
The striker, signed from Cliftonville in the summer, has been a fan favourite from day one. The pacy striker had been leading the line with Jordan White in recent weeks in an old-school big man/little man dynamic. It marks his first goal since his penalty in the 2-1 defeat against Celtic.
Hale terrorised the Well’ backline all game, constantly trying to get in behind their backline, making darting runs off the last man. His relationship with Josh Nisbet is still early, but there are positive signs there for Caley that the dynamic midfielder and quick-footed Hale can be a real danger duo.
A first goal in six, Cowie hopes this can be the start of another good run for the Irishman:
“Ronan kept telling me he was due one. He has been frustrated that he hadn’t scored for a few games, but he is always in the right positions”
