STUART KETTLEWELL, win or lose tonight, wants Rangers to leave Dingwall dreading their next visit.
Old Firm clubs tend to travel in luxury, with overnight stays plush coaches and sometimes even short-haul flights easing the strain. But the County co-manager still feels geography, the midweek billing and the reception the Highlanders grant the big guns can go a long way to influencing the outcome.
Rangers have won on the road this season, but never not in the emphatic manner they have at Ibrox.
Kettlewell said: “People talk about it being a free hit, playing against the Old Firm, with nobody expecting you to take anything from it.
“Rangers are in a rich vein of form, but we have to make our ground as uncomfortable as we can for teams to come and play.
“We need to get the crowd behind us, the atmosphere working in our favour. Playing against the big teams with a full stadium here can be a real advantage to us.
“The number of games Rangers are having to play doesn’t make a difference, given the personnel they can call on. But we have to be competitive in every area of the game, make contact all over the pitch. We believe we’re a better team when we do that.
“When we’re competitive and match up all over the pitch, that’s when we feel we get the opportunity to play and score goals, as we did at the weekend. That gives us the best possible chance.
“What we don’t want to do is stand back and admire Rangers do. We felt we did that at Parkhead a little bit. As good as Celtic were, we have to make sure we have an effect on the game and channel them somewhere they don’t want to be.
“Only by doing that do you give yourselves a chance in these games.”
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