High hopes for Cowie to make big impact "on and off the pitch"

Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell believes that they have the "nucleus" of a promising squad, with competition for placed heightened further this week following the addition of Don Cowie.

Speaking of the talents which Don can bring, Kettlewell said, "He's a great professional, a great player to have about your football club - but most importantly he's a very good player. Yes he's 35-years-old, but his fitness levels are incredible and we feel he'll bring so much quality to the group"

Cowie had seven seasons with the Staggies, making almost 200 appearances, and had been given the armband at County until his pre-contract deal with Inverness saw him stripped of the captaincy.

Sadly his time at County didn't end on a high, and despite their victory in the Challenge Cup Final, relegation to the Second Division followed later that same season.

Kettlewell understands some fans may want to see signs of Cowie's past performances, having been such a memorable player for the club: "Obviously there's a degree of nostalgia with Don, given that he started his career at the club, but that's not the key reason why we brought him back"

"He can add so much to the club on-and-off the pitch and myself and Steven (Ferguson) wouldn't be doing our job properly if we hadn't tried to pursue a player of his quality"