
Josh Nisbet activates relegation clause to depart Ross County
Australian midfielder Nisbet joined the Staggies last summer on a three-year deal from Central Coast Mariners – but has opted to activate a relegation clause in his contract which sees him move on after only 12 months.
Nisbet arrived in Scotland with a rich pedigree, having helped Mariners to a treble winning season in which he was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal as the best A-League player that campaign.
The diminutive 5ft 3in midfielder, who has three Australia caps, made 29 starts for the Staggies and 10 substitute appearances.
He netted four goals for County – with the last of those coming in his final appearance in the play-off second leg defeat to Livingston which ultimately relegated the Dingwall side.
After leaving Victoria Park, Nisbet is now free to make the switch to another club.
Nibset joins Scott Allardice, James Brown, Ryan Leak, Alex Samuel and Logan Ross, who have all left the Staggies in recent days.
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Press and Journal
42 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Don Cowie assesses Ross County's biggest Premier Sports Cup test - against league rivals Partick Thistle
Manager Don Cowie insists Saturday's must-win showdown with Partick Thistle will show how ready Ross County are for the Championship kick-off. Tuesday's rousing 8-0 rout over League Two visitors Edinburgh City in the Premier Sports Cup – on the back of last weekend's 1-0 win at Championship hosts Queen of the South – means County still have a chance of reaching the last 16. The back-to-back wins followed a 1-1 draw at League Two Stranraer, which ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat at Stair Park. Thistle have won all three of their ties, so have a two-point lead ahead of the weekend's Dingwall tie. The final Group B fixture comes exactly a week before County, relegated from the Premiership in May, kick off their league campaign at Airdrieonians. For four years running, Partick have reached the promotion play-offs but have yet to clinch their place back in the top-flight, following relegation in 2017-18. In 2023, County staged the most remarkable recovery to beat Partick in the play-off final on penalties, after the Glasgow team led by three goals. Now under the sole management of Mark Wilson, Jags fans will expect their side to again be in the promotion race. Cowie reckons that will be a multi-club chase for places in the Premiership. While beating Edinburgh City in such style was pleasing, Cowie knows only the best will do against Partick. He said: 'I think pretty much every team will be a play-off or a title contender because of how competitive the league is. 'We've seen that year after year and Partick have been really consistent to finish in the play-off for the last few years. 'It will be a good test to see where we are, and we'll have to temper Tuesday tonight. 'Edinburgh are a League Two team and now we're going to be facing a Championship team, so we'll see where we really are. 'It was great to get eight goals but Saturday is what really counts now. 'Like we said after the first game in the group, we gave ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb. 'We knew that but we also knew that winning the next three games would give us a real chance of finishing top. 'We've won two and that was always our aim. It will be a different quality of opposition on Saturday against Partick, but we're looking forward to it.' Saturday's win in Dumfries was County's first victory since March, with a major dip in form taking them out of the top-flight via a play-off final loss against Livingston. Cowie hopes his new-look side – with 11 new faces – can get used to winning to gather momentum when the league season gets going. He said: 'We want to build momentum to start the season well, and we want our new players to have that good feeling. 'Winning is a habit and last year it became a struggle at the end because we weren't winning, so we want to get into that mode and that habit again. 'The good sign (from Tuesday) was that even though it was 3-0 at half time, we didn't take our foot off the gas. We kept going and it finished 8-0, and that's the mentality we need to create. 'It would be important for us to get out of the group and finish top, and that's what we're aiming to do.' Defender Akil Wright, who played every Premiership minute for his side last term, sat out the goal feast against Edinburgh but he should be back to face Thistle. Returning midfielder Jamie Lindsay is set for his first County appearance since helping the club win the Championship in 2019. Cowie explained: 'Akil felt a little niggle from the weekend, so we thought it was best to be a bit cautious and leave him out on Tuesday and hope that means he is available for Saturday. 'It was good to see Dylan Smith playing in his natural position, and I thought he played really well too, so that was a real positive. 'Akil will hopefully be back, and I think Jamie Lindsay has a good chance. 'He has only just re-joined us, and he's keen and eager to be involved. I thought tonight was far too soon, but Saturday is still a few days away so I think that's realistic. 'Gary Mackay-Steven is back training with the squad, but I think it will be the first league game before he's back, and Connor Randall will be back with us then as well with the protocol (after a head knock).' Cowie underlined that recruiting another centre half remains a priority in the coming week or so after the early capture of ex-Dundee United defender Declan Gallagher.


Times
an hour ago
- Times
Zak Crawley is unique: the better the bowling, the better he plays
Familiarity can breed content for a batsman, for one should never underestimate the power of playing at a ground where success has previously been achieved. Comfort can bring easy optimism and hope, even when form has been elusive and the vultures have begun to circle. It was at Old Trafford two years ago that Zak Crawley played his finest Test innings, 189 against Australia, a knock so good that its eventual end was met by a string of Australian legends racing to shake Crawley's hand. Since then the going has been tough. Crawley has made only one century, and that was against Zimbabwe, but here suddenly we witnessed the Crawley into which England have poured so much faith, mostly flying in the face of convention and statistics, causing the likes of Michael Vaughan to highlight Crawley's fortune in playing 58 Tests and averaging just 31.40. When presented with the bare numbers, it is often hard to argue the case for the Kent opener, but those within the England set-up think very differently from most of us, and instead consider contributions and impact more carefully. Even when Crawley had a moderate Test at Lord's, the inside word, apparently, was one of satisfaction that he had seen off Jasprit Bumrah twice and therefore had played a significant part in the victory. And there is something in that. Crawley plays Bumrah very well. Indeed he plays the better and faster bowlers very well. At one stage of this innings the BBC statistician Andy Zaltzman observed that he is England's best player against bowling above 88mph, averaging 80. The dibbly dobblers that are so prevalent in county cricket are not to his liking, with his first-class average thus very similar to his Test figure. Why is that? Simply because two of Crawley's greatest strengths are his driving on the up and his hooking and pulling, strokes that are ideally suited to Old Trafford, where the pitch may have lost some of its pace but still retains enough bounce for that purpose, as well as many of the surfaces in Australia. This means that he can score freely even when those best and fastest bowlers are bowling as they want, targeting either a good length or testing one's mettle with some bouncers. In short Crawley can score off the good balls and does not need to wait for the bad ones. But that in itself brings its own dangers, because even the slightest lateral movement can prove fatal when a batsman is driving on the up. There were many instances of that in his 84 here, not least in the first over of the innings when he drove at Bumrah and found only fresh air. Mohammed Siraj nipped a few balls back off a length that Crawley inside-edged when on another day they might have sneaked through the gate presented by going so hard at the ball. But in fairness Crawley worked hard at the beginning. He played out two maidens from Bumrah and when, at the end of the sixth over, England were 26 without loss, Crawley was still not off the mark. And even when that first run did come, it came with some pain, as he gloved a lifter from Bumrah, yelping before stealing a single on the leg side. Then, when he thought he had found a first boundary to extra cover, the ball did not quite reach the fence and Crawley had to scamper back for a fourth run, diving to make it and muddying his sleeveless sweater. Did he change that piece of clothing when he went to tea 33 not out? Of course he didn't. He might like playing at the ground but it does not mean that he can flirt frivolously with the game's reputation as a cruel mistress. Superstitions still persist, even for one as sanguine as Crawley. Soon the booming drives through extra cover were coming, as Crawley managed his weight distribution so much better than at Lord's, where he had looked static and mechanical, with an on-driven four off Siraj just before tea a shot of some class. India had not bowled brilliantly at England's openers, with Ricky Ponting on the television commentary rightly urging them to bowl wider at Crawley, but the pressure exerted by this partnership of different heights and scoring areas should not be overlooked. This was Crawley and Ben Duckett's fifth hundred partnership in Tests and it came in only 18.5 overs. It was some start. When Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin was introduced, Crawley immediately plonked him over long-on for six and then paddle-swept him for four. A no-ball bizarrely brought his downfall, as the extra ball turned a little and Crawley, opening the face of the bat, edged low to slip. It was a surprise, but he and Duckett had put on 166 and Crawley had, on a favourite ground, played the innings he desperately needed to quieten the doubters, if only for a short period, because he is a cricketer like no other in the history of the game; confounding, confounded, confusing, confused, charming and charmed, but, on a day like this, also coruscating.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Hugo Ekitike's £79m arrival clears path for Liverpool forward to leave Anfield on loan as Arne Slot reshapes attack ahead of Premier League title defence
Liverpool will allow their Wales international forward Lewis Koumas to go out on loan again following the £79million signing of Hugo Ekitike. Koumas, 19, scored six times for Stoke City on loan last season and it's felt another spell of playing regularly away from Anfield would be best to aid his long-term development. The Championship is Koumas' likeliest destination for the second consecutive year but moves abroad or to the Premier League haven't been ruled out. Koumas is regarded highly by Liverpool and scored on his debut aged 18 against Southampton in 2024 in what is his only first-team appearance for the club to date. In addition to making 49 appearances for Stoke, Koumas has also won six caps for Wales, where his father Jason was part of the Noughties team alongside the likes of Craig Bellamy. Bellamy is now Wales manager and excited about the future for Koumas. 'He's one of those players who just, every time he has it, you feel like something's is going to happen. Something positive happens. Fearless.' Born in Liverpool, Koumas began his footballing journey in the Tranmere Rovers academy - the same club where his father started his career - before switching to Liverpool at a young age. His natural talent was quickly recognised, and he steadily rose through the ranks at Kirkby, often playing above his age group. The forward signed his first professional contract with Liverpool in January 2023 before penning a new long-term deal last August. He featured for 45 minutes in the Reds' 3-1 pre-season victory over Preston North End, but may not suit up again as the club look to loan him out again.