ROSS COUNTY FOOTBALL CLUB


News from Ross County's 1999-2000 Campaign: December


PAGE INDEX

  1. 8/12: County Put The Covers On
  2. 17/12: Ferguson: Too Good A Chance To Miss
  3. 20/12: Cup Tie Threatened By The Freeze
  4. 23/12: County's New Cup date
  5. 30/12: Tarrant Is On Loan With Ayr United
  6. 30/12: County's New Cup Date - Part 2

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COUNTY PUT THE COVERS ON

Meanwhile, Ross County hope their home match today with in-form Partick Thistle can beat the weather.

Dingwall was hit by a heavy flurry of snow yesterday, but manager Neale Cooper is confident the all-weather protection the club has put on the pitch will enable the match to go ahead.

He said: "The covers are on and even though there has been a lot of snow over the 24 hours we are hopeful the match will be okay.

"Partick have come into a good run of form recently, but I have also been really happy with our last two games."

Former Dunfermline midfielder John Fraser, sent off during last week's win at Queen of the South, will miss four games through suspension. Cooper will also be without Brian Irvine, John McGlashan and Frank Escalon. Craig Tully misses his final match of a suspension, but Michael Geraghty returns.

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FERGUSON: TOO GOOD A CHANCE TO MISS

This report appeared in The Ross-shireJournal om Friday 17th December, written by Alasdair Fraser.

Derek Ferguson probably does not give a XXXX lager about his critics who bang on about what might have been in his football career.

Likewise, if the much travelled ex-Rangers midfielder harbours any regrets about his all-too-brief recent stint in Australian football, then they did not show when he put pen to paper last Saturday in Dingwall.

Having left Partick Thistle for a new life on the other side of the planet, no-one, not least the player himself, expected him back quite so quickly. However, he returned and Neale Cooper moved swiftly to snap him up at the second time of asking.

It cannot be denied that had the 32-year-old fulfilled all his promise and faith placed in him as a youngster at Ibrox, he would not be returning to turn out for Ross County.

It is not entering the realms of fantasy to suggest that he might have been captain of Scotland and playing at the highest level for his club, probably Rangers.

It is hardly Ferguson's faultso many people attached so many "next big thing" tags to his name at such an early stage in his career.

His brother, Barry, at Rangers and Mark Burchill at Celtic live with the pressures which come from being similarly tipped for great things, merely because Scottish football is impoverished of real football talent.

But there is no denying that Ferguson had grace, talent and bags of promise which, despite a fruitful career outside the Old Firm, never quite reached the heights anticipated, for one reason or another.

Where the script went awry is not really of relevence but the upshot is that we find ourselves with a player of quality arriving in Dingwall for what will surely be the last significant move of his career.

Whether Ferguson feels he has something to prove here or is merely content on finding a club and a comfortable deal, remains to be seen.

However, as Neale Cooper hinted, Ferguson can use this move as a platform to prove people wrong.

Cooper, said: "He is a class performer and is still young enough to prove things to people through what he achieves with Ross County. I hope that he takes the chance to do that.

"On top of that, I feel that he will bring experience to bear on the team. I watched him at Partick and he did well there.

"He has had a couple of injuries which have had a bad effect earlier in his career, but he is in great shape now and is a player who loves to take the ball on the ground and play football."

Some County fans will be voicing doubts given the negative effect of the Mark Hateley saga. This is understandable, but in Ferguson's favour, he is still in peak physical condition. But in his case only time will tell and he is certainly worth taking a gamble on.

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CUP TIE THREATENED BY THE BIG FREEZE

Tonight's rescheduled Scottish Cup first round replay between Forfar and Ross County looks set to be postponed for the second time in 48 hours.

The original match was postponed on Saturday because the Station Park surface was frozen.

Tonight's match is scheduled for a 7.30 kick-off, but Forfar officials fear the game will be called off after an inspection this morning. If the match is postponed again, the teams will attempt to play the tie on Wednesday (7.30).

The first match ended 2-2. George Shaw put County ahead before Euan Donaldson and Barry Robson turned the tie in Forfar's favour. Brian Irvine was County's hero when he came off the bench to score an injury-time equaliser.

If the game beats the weather, Forfar are unlikely to make any changes from the starting line-up which drew at Victoria Park, although manager Ian McPhee might freshen things up on the bench.

County are likely to recall striker Derek Holmes, who missed the first match through illness, and midfielder Steven Ferguson, who was suspended.

New County signing Derek Ferguson is ineligible for the match, but club captain Irvine looks likely to get a starting slot.

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COUNTY'S NEW CUP DATE

Ross County's postponed Scottish Cup replay with Forfar, due to take place at Station Park last night, will now go ahead at the Angus ground on Monday at 3.15pm after the Loons' pitch was deemed unplayable yesterday.

County's Second Division league trip to Stenhousemuir and Forfar's game at East Stirling scheduled for Monday have been put on ice. Alternative dates for these will be announced later today.

County boss Neale Cooper said yesterday: "We were all ready to go and do a light training session but after we got the news from Forfar we were able to go ahead and do a full stint.

"We'll put in another couple of tough sessions tomorrow and the lads will gather together in places as far apart as Glasgow and Aberdeen over Christmas to continue their preparations."

Cooper added: "They are all professionals and know how to look after themselves over the festive period so I would expect them all to be raring to go for Monday's cup tie."

The County manager refused to consider the prospect of a tricky second-round trip to Highland League champions Peterhead in the second round.

Other matches due to be played on Monday will kick -off late to avoid clashing with the televised Old Firm match, which starts at 1pm.

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TARRANT IS ON LOAN WITH AYR UNITED

Striker Neil Tarrant has been away from Ross County for five months, but he still likes nothing better than getting one over on his old Highland rivals Caley Thistle.

Tarrant, who left Dingwall in a £200,000 move to Aston Villa in the summer, is on loan to First Division Ayr United and his aim for the season is to finish above Caley Jags.

The 20-year-old Englishman is still a hero with the Victoria Park faithful after scoring 17 goals in 27 games as County clinched the Third Division championship last season.

Tarrant said: "I loved my time at Ross County and I learned a lot from Neale Cooper and Nicky Walker, who both gained a lot of experience throughout their careers.

"My last season at County was great because we won promotion and I was scoring goals which, in the end, got me the move to Aston Villa.

"The Villa move came completely out of the blue but it was a dream move. I've been down here five months and it is a tremendous experience training with players like Dion Dublin, Stan Collymore and Paul Merson on a daily basis.

"I still can't believe that I'm playing with Aston Villa in probably the best league in the world."

The young striker had been playing regularly in the Villa reserve side but he is still waiting for a top team start.

He said: "I have not played in the first team yet but I was on the club's pre-season tour to Holland and was on the bench for a game with Feyenoord. Although I never got on, it was great to be involved with the first team.

"Things have been going quite well and I had been playing regularly in the Aston Villa reserves but the league finished at Christmas.

"John Gregory called me in to ask if I would be willing to go out on loan to gain more first team experience.

"That is why I'm on loan to Ayr United at the moment, to build up on my match sharpness and to gain more first team experience.

"I've been up on loan for the last three matches and we have managed to score two goals in an unbeaten run."

Despite his absence from Victoria Park, Tarrant has continued to make himself a legend with the County fans by claiming that his main aim is to make sure Ayr finish above Caley Thistle.

He said: "There was always a good rivalry between the clubs and, being a former County player, it is always nice trying to get one over on Caley Thistle.

"Who knows? If I'm still playing for Ayr United next season I could also do County some favours in the First Division.

"It all depends on whether Villa call me back because I am certain that Ross County will definitely get promotion."

Tarrant himself would prefer to be knocking on the first team door of the Aston Villa team next season.

He said: "John Gregory said when he signed me that the first year would be a steep learning curve.

"You need to be a lot quicker and sharper to play in the Premier League and the more first team games I get with Ayr the better it is for me.

"Hopefully, Villa can stay clear of relegation and I might get a chance at the end of the season."

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COUNTY'S NEW CUP DATE - PART 2

Ross County's Scottish Cup first round replay with Forfar Athletic has been rescheduled for Monday, January 3.

The match has been postponed four times already and, despite County's protestations, the match will kick off at 3pm at Station Park – forcing the postponement of the Dingwall club's league game with Clyde on the same date.

The Highlanders had hoped their league match would take priority over the Scottish Cup replay, but Scottish Football Association officials rejected the proposal.

The SFA is anxious that the tie be played as soon as possible as the second round is to be played a week on Saturday – just five days after this first round replay is scheduled to go ahead.

The draw for the third round of the competition, which will include Premier League clubs, will be made at Hampden Park on Sunday, January 9, and will be played on the weekend of January 29 to 30.

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