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ROSS COUNTY 1; Airdrie 1 |
County earned their first point of the season after this keenly-contested match against Steve Archbald's league of nations side at Victoria Park.
But, despite finishing on top, County had former international goalkeeper Nicky Walker to thank for keeping them in thematch.
County took the lead when Jesus Sanjuan clearly handled the ball and George Shaw stepped up to send the 'keeper the wrong way from the resulting spot kick.
Derek Holmes was an early casualty as tackles came flying in from every angle, and the big County striker had to be replaced in the 32nd minute by Frank Escalon.
The Diamonds came more into the game as the first half progressed, playing good possession football. They earned their deserved equaliser just on the stroke of half time when Eddie Forrest swept the ball home from close range.
Walker came to County's rescue when he denied Calderon and Brady in quick succession. The latter was a spectacular, acrobatic save and justified manager Neale Cooper's decision to persuade the veteran to play one more season.
The introduction of Paul Kinnaird and John Fraser started to turn the match in County's favour and they pressed hard for the winner. Deep into injury time Brian Irvine came close to securing County's first win in the First Divsion when he connected with a Kinnaird cross only to have his powerful header saved by Broto in the visitors' goal.
In injury time, the Dingwall men were reduced to ten men when Alex Bone was stretchered off suffering from "heat exhaustion".
Ross County: Walker; Gilbert, Cunnington, Maxwell, Irvine, McQuade (Kinnaird, 46), Ferguson (Fraser, 69), Millar, Holmes (Escalon, 32), Shaw and Bone. Unused Subs: Hamilton (gk) and D McKay.
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Airdrie 5; ROSS COUNTY 1 |
Neale Cooper last night described Ross County's 5-1 defeat to struggling Airdrie as unacceptable and admitted that such performances will not be tolerated at the club.
Prior to the match, Steve Archibald's league of nations at Airdrie had been sitting at the bottom of the First Division without a home league win to their name.
After the match they had five goals in the bag and the three points gained took them above Alloa in the table.
Cooper had warned his players on the eve of the match not to underestimate the challenge of the Diamonds, but within 11 minutes Airdrie were in control.
Cooper said: "I said to them they had not won at home yet and yet they pummelled us. I also said to them to keep it tight for the first 20 minutes and instead we found ourselves two goals down in 11 minutes.
"I can accept defeat, but it was the way we were defeated I am not happy about. We just lay down and let them play. Too many of our players just did not perform.
"Our passing was poor and we didn't show any fighting spirit. It was a nightmare.
"I have not seen a performance as bad in a long, long time. I will accept defeat, but not on those terms."
Cooper spoke beforehand of his admiration of Airdrie's David Fernandez and he was the shining light for the Diamonds.
"Fernandez and Antonio Calderon were different class for them. I spoke to Steve Archibald after the match and he said they have played like that on a number of occasions this season without getting the breaks.
"I want to apologise to the supporters who made the journey down for the match. I just hope our players feel as badly as I do about this result.
"I was angry during the match, at half-time and at full-time."
Fernandez's low effort from the edge of the box after only eight minutes started the rout.
Austin McCann then created the second for Stuart Taylor to head into the net after 11 minutes, despite the efforts of Ian Maxwell to clear.
Calderon then produced, arguably, the goal of the game with a powerful volley into the top corner from the edge of the box after 36 minutes.
It took only nine minutes of the second half for the fourth goal to arrive when John Elliott beat County keeper Nicky Walker. An own goal by Airdrie's Paul Armstrong just after the hour was County's only consolation.
However, Airdrie made it five when Martin Prest headed past Walker.
Cooper added: "The only bright spot for us was that we gave 16-year-old Craig Campbell a match. It was hard for him to go on at 5-1 down but he showed up well."
Ross County: Walker; Mackay, Henderson, Maxwell, Irvine, Taggart, Ferguson (Fraser 37), Shaw, Holmes, Millar, McQuade (Campbell 73).
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ROSS COUNTY 3; Airdrie 4 |
A woeful County defensive display handed makeshift Airdrie an unlikely victory.
County boss Neale Cooper made two forced changes, bringing in Gary Hamilton in place of calf injury victim Nicky Walker and striker Derek Holmes for Brian Irvine, who was serving a one-game suspension.
Ian McCall's Diamonds side included former Don Ian Cameron and ex-Eire and Dunfermline striker Owen Coyle, returning to Victoria Park for the first time since his loan spell with County ended in February.
And Coyle celebrated his return to Dingwall in the seventh minute, rounding 'keeper Hamilton to calmly prod the ball into an empty net after Dave McKay failed to intercept Cameron's diagonal pass.
Airdrie's lead lasted just four minutes, thanks to a piece of magic from Karim Boukraa, who whipped in a pinpoint cross from the left which left HOLMES with a simple header to beat Gonzalez.
But County handed the Diamonds the lead again in the 15th minute, Taylor rifling a low shot past Hamilton from 16 yards when the home side's defence failed to clear a free kick awarded for Mark Perry's foul on Coyle.
County could have been back on terms in 31 minutes when two great chances went begging – the first thanks to a good save from Gonzalez to keep out Alex Bone's shot and the second a shot on the turn from Holmes.
County started the second half with John McQuade on for Mark McCormick. McQuade responded to the challenge of sparking a fightback in 53 minutes with a glorious 20-yard strike.
Inside a minute County were 3-2 ahead, HOLMES reacting first to prod the ball home from inside the six-yard box when Boukraa's cross was nodded on to the underside of the bar by Bone.
But Airdrie came roaring back and Hamilton protected County's lead with a terrific save in 65 minutes to keep out a well-struck 16-yard drive from McWilliams.
Hamilton bettered that three minutes in 68 minutes with a diving one-handed save to keep out Robert Dunn's header on Coyle's cross – but he was helpless a minute later when a mistake from McKay let in Coyle to slide a simple finish home from 10 yards to haul the Diamonds back on terms.
And Dunn stunned the home crowd into silence in 72 minutes when he looked up from the right touchline and floated a lob over Hamilton's head from 35 yards out to put Airdrie 4-3 in front.
Airdrie substitute Joe McAlpine's shot hit the crossbar in injury time.
Ross County: Hamilton; Perry, Robertson, Maxwell, Mackay, Holmes (Prest, 66), McCormick (McQuade, 46), Ferguson, Bone, Boukraa and Henderson (Taggart, 53). Unused Subs: Gonet (gk) and Canning.
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Airdrie 2; ROSS COUNTY 2 |
Steven FERGUSON, a second half substitute, scored a sensational goal to earn Ross County a point in this First Division relegation battle.
He struck with only two minutes remaining when he side-footed the ball home after some great work on the left by Karim Boukraa had set up the chance.
Last week's seven goal thriller at Dingwall between these two sides looked to be on the cards again, as both teams grabbed early goals.
The home side went ahead when Paul Armstrong sent a fine pass into the path of the onrushing Scott Bannerman, once a target for the Victoria Park side, and he showed grat footwork to get beyond the County defence, before drilling the ball home from the edge of the box after only two minutes.
However, in seven minutes Ross County's former Airdrie favourite Martin Prest was sent tumbling in the area by Craig McPherson, and from the resultant penalty kick Alex BONE sent 'keeper Ramiro Gonzalez the wrong way to equalise.
Moments later, Prest broke clear, only to see Gonzalez push the ball wide at his near post. Midway through the first half, Owen Coyle was sent clear by Lee Gardner, but the veteran striker shot just wide.
Airdrie edged in front for the second time in 31 minutes when Coyle found the target, hitting his fifth goal in four games with a snap shot from the edge of the area.
Just before half time, Gonzalez made a terrific save to push out a thundering drive from Bone, and from the rebound John Fraser's shot was kicked off the line by Stuart Taylor.
With the game in first half injury time, the Diamonds almost snatched a third when Taylor's header was saved on the line by Gary Hamilton.
Airdrie began the second half on top and alsmost went further ahead in 53 minutes when Coyle set up Robert Dunn, who had replaced Derek McWilliams only three minutes earlier, but he shot straight at Hamilton.
Three minutes later, the home side had a lucky escape when for the second time in the match Taylor cleared the ball off the line, this time from Derek Holmes. County came more into the game as they searched for the equaliser and it was not until the 81st minute when FERGUSON popped up to place the ball beyond Gonzalez to secure a valuable point for County.
Ross County: Hamilton; Perry, Robertson (Ferguson, 81), Maxwell, Irvine, Cunnington, McQuade, Fraser (McCormick, 62), Bone, Boukraa and Prest (Holmes, 50). Unused Subs: Gonet (gk) and D McKay.
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