Ex-Hearts ace hatches plan to leave fans with Tynecastle 'anxiety' this weekend and turn strength against them
Hearts return to Premiership action with a home game against Ross County this weekend.
Ross County manager Don Cowie has called on his players to turn Tynecastle against Hearts when the two sides meet on Saturday afternoon.
Just one point and one place separate the two sides in the Premiership table as they both eye a big final push for the European spots - although there is no little margin for error for either side between now and the end of the season.
The stakes will be high on Saturday and Cowie, who made over 70 appearances for Hearts during a two-year spell at Tynecastle, believes the first goal could prove important as his side look to play on the anxiety within the home faithful.
Turning crowd on Jambos
He said: "People speak about it being one of the best venues in Scottish football and it's one you have to embrace. It is unique, with the stands being right on top of you. It makes for a great atmosphere, but we also know that it will be a real challenge. You can't give the home fans any invitation to get behind their team. If you can get the first goal, it causes anxiety because of the demands of the fans there. That's something we have to turn into an advantage for us."
There has been little to choose between the two sides in their previous two meetings this season after they battled to hard-fought draws on both occasions. A last-minute equaliser from Lawrence Shankland earned Hearts a home point in September after Ronan Hale had fired the Staggies in front at Tynecastle before two injury-time goals from Joshua Nisbet and Jordan White helped County cancel out a goal in each half from Hearts youngster James Wilson.
With a third meeting of the campaign lying in wait this weekend, Cowie is anticipating another exciting encounter as he challenged his side to ‘be at their very best’ to claim all three points.
Free flowing encounters
He said: "Since I've been a coach or manager at Ross County, we've always had open games against Hearts. They play on the front foot and with intent, and that's maybe a big factor in why the games have been so tight. They are a team that wants to score goals, and you’ve got to understand that first and foremost you’ll have to defend well. Then it’s about building from that and trying to hit them on the transition.
“That’s probably the reason why those games have been so close. Sometimes if Hearts had been more clinical, they could have been out of sight – like the 6-1 game down there. That’s what they are capable of, and that’s why we will need to be at our very best to get a result.”