Also making his debut was Richard Hastings, playing on the left side of defence, and the ex-Caley Thistle man also impressed in his first start.

It was County who grabbed the initiative, aided greatly by that wicked deflection. Robertson's drive from just outside the box in 11 minutes struck a Raith defender's leg to wrong-foot Simon Miotto in goal.

Raith were stung into action with a Scott Crabbe attempt which brushed the top of the bar seven minutes later before ex-County star Darren Henderson's twisting run set up Wilfred Nanou for a header which went just over.

Neither side was able to dominate in midfield, but County could have gone in at the interval with a two-goal lead had 'keeper Miotto not blocked when Alex Bone charged through on a one-to-one with the 'keepr.

Raith tried to step up the pace of the game after the interval but it was County who pressed the hardest as the play seemed to get bogged down in the middle of the park.

As the second half progressed, glaring holes appeared in the Raith defence, but County were unable to take advantage - twice being pulled up for off-side decisions.

County's new defensive set-up also went through a rough spell, butsome desperate clearances kept the visitors at bay until full time.

Ross County: Bullock; Perry, Hastings, Maxwell, Webb, Fraser, McQuade (Ferguson, 63), Hislop (Holmes, 63), Bone (Prest, 83), Cowie and Robertson. Subs: Gonet(gk) and Steven Mackay.

Return to the Page Index

By the managers own admission this was a 'win at all costs' scenario for Ross County. Mercifully they rose to the challenge - the alternative scenario was less than attractive.

No-one in the Dingwall camp would ahve taken any pleasure from the fact that Raith's meek resistance proved the death throes of the amiable Peter Hetherston's short and ill-fated reign at Stark's Park.

It was a match in which County punished their oppoments for defensive errors but also asserted themselves as a side with the characy=ter to shine when it counts.

There is an argument, based on results, that some of Ross County's more experienced players only perform to their absolute best against bigger clubs, but this was a performance that weakened this assumption.

Defeat would have plunged County a point adrift at the foot of the table and piled on the pressure, while victory created a five-point margin over Raith.

Too good to be relegated? On paper, it seems that way, but the picture becomes less clear when trying to assess who looks most likely to fall through the trapdoor.

Assuming that the Fifers fail to revive their fortunes, County are currently joined by Arbroath, Ayr, Clyde and Caley Thistle in a four-way lower table battle with a mere three points between them.

Above this nervous clutch of teams, even fourth- and third-placed Falkirk and St Mirren, five and seven points ahead of Neale Cooper's side respectively can hardly breathe easily given the cut-throat nature of competition.

Such statistics could be mulled over for hours, though, and Cooper, rightly, seems more intent on concentrating on the next game as he plots am upward trajectory away from trouble.

That sort of focus and concentration was required for the trip to Raith and County's intent in the match was evident virtually from the outset.

It is no exaggeration to say the game was won in the first half, with the early indicator coming in the form of a Mark McCormick blast against the top of the cross-bar.

Brian Irvine was also denied only by a last-gasp tackly by Paul Browne before the visitors took the lead in the 18th minute.

A long throw from Mark Perry had the Raith defence in trouble and Hugh ROBERTSON was the first to react, smashing the ball past 'keeper Sammy Monin.

Monin was credited for preventing a complete Raith collapse with a series of quality saves, notably including an acrobatic stop from Steve Hislop in 25 minutes.

But County punished more defensive hesitancy three minutes later as a foolish backward header from Jorge Zoco exposed Monin who saw HISLOP get to the ball first and head-flick it beyond the 'keeper's grasp.

Raith already looked a beaten side and that outcome was virtually assured in 37 minutes when Richard Hastings' deep cross from the left gave McCORMICK the space and time to head home the third.

Manager Cooper's signals to his players at half time must have been to consolidate and hit on the break and, perhaps inevitably, Raith launched a recovery of sorts in the second period.

Tony Bullock, after the hour, received his first real test with a straightforward save from Zoco's shot and a few minutes later, Raith's Andy Smith went down in the box with appeals for a penalty being waved away.

The County 'keeper, brilliant in recent weeks, was agin up to the task when he tipped to safety a 25-yard attempt from Andy Clark.

Having resisted the Raith recovery, County might have hit a fourth four minutes from time when Monin saved from McCormick.

In the final minute, the bottom club grabbed a consolation when Nacho Novo forced Bullock to commit himself and the ball broke to Clark to side-foot the ball home.

Ross County: Bullock; Perry, Hastings, Maxwell, Irvine, McCormick, Anselin (Gethins), Tarrant, Bone, Hislop (Webb) and Robertson. Unused Subs: Gonet (gk), Cowie and S McKay.

Return to the Page Index

Beaten and bloodied by full-time, Raith Rovers could hardly have given this game more. Unfortunately for them, Ross County matched their passion in a bruising, but entertaining, game.

It was a tribute to relegation-threatened Raith that the outcome of this bottom-of-the-table clash was settled only with virtually the last kick of the game.

There was undoubtedly a greater verve and determination about the recently revitalised home team. They attacked from the outset and created a large number of scoring chances - an attribute not apparent earlier in a troubled campaign. There was no denying that the Dingwall men came through a major character test. If they can maintain this level of performance over the next two or three weeks, then the relegation bets should be off.

There was much from Neale Cooper's men to hearten the home fans. A splendid goal from Alex Bone, unusually quiet on the goal-scoring front this season, augers well and there was the return in front of the home support of eye-injury victim Kenny Gilbert to inspire the Jail End. The latter received a warm response from the crowd and hardly looked as if he had missed close on 18 months of football.

Raith were desperate for a win over their relegation threatened rivals and they name an unchanged side for the first time since Jocky Scott's arrival. However, it was the home team that started the brighter.

After only two minutes, veteran Brian IRVINE rose unchallenged to head home a Karim Boukraa corner. County controlled the game for the next 15 minutes before Steven Hislop came agonisingly close to extending County's lead. The young striker's effort bounced off the visiting 'keeper, Sammy Monin, before Paul Browne cleared the danger.

The Kircaldy men grabbed an unlikely equaliser shortly before half time when two ex-County players conspired to score against their former team-mates. Marc Millar free kick was headed against the post and Darren Henderson was on hand to steer the ball home from a few yards out.

County responded in the second half with determined running and skill from Frenchman Boukraa. Rather than a clever move, though, it took a little bit of luck for County to restore their lead in the 55th minute. A Bone shot was parried by Monin and the rebound flew off the helpless Robbie Henderson and into the net. Better was to come for County in 61 minutes. In space on the right, Hislop slipped the perfect pass to BONE. The former St Mirren striker did not have to be asked twice to blast the ball home in spectacular fashion from 16 yards out.

Just when all looked lost for the visitors, a piece of slack play in the County defence let Raith back into the game in the 65th minute. A Darren Henderson free kick was nodded down by Browne in the box. County's stand-in 'keeper Rameiro Gonzalez failed to hold the ball and Nacho Novo was on hand to stab the ball into the back of the net off the post.

There was a lot of tension and battling football in the closing twenty minutes with there being so much at stake for both sides. But as Raith pressed for the equaliser in the dying seconds, Bone sprinted away with the ball out on the left and with a pin-point pass across the face of the goal he found substitute Conor GETHINS who netted to kill the game.

Ross County: Gonzalez; Perry, Maxwell, Irvine, Robertson, Ferguson, Gilbert, Anselin (Gethins, 61), Boukkra McCormick, 82), Bone (Prest, 90), Hislop. Unused Subs: Shearer (gk) and Cowie.

Return to the Page Index

Les Fridge has patrolled the goal-lines of Scottish football for many years but rarely will he have taken so much from a performance as he would have done from yesterday’s exemplary display against doomed Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park.

The Ross County goalkeeper stood up to everything the Raith players could throw at him during a competitive and entertaining 90 minutes, making a series of outstanding saves and having the good fortune to be rescued by the woodwork on the solitary occasion when the ball did find a way beyond his arms.

For what was in essence a comparatively meaningless fixture, both sets of players contrived to produce a performance which was far from the expected turgid encounter to round off a season of contrasting fortunes for the respective combatants.

The one breath of fresh air which has swept over a rather stagnant Stark’s Park over the course of the past nine months has been the enigmatic brilliance of Spanish striker Nacho Novo, who has scored more than 20 goals for Raith despite their ongoing flirtation with the relegation issue.

Novo was taking part in what was widely expected to be his last game for the club yesterday and the enthusiasm which he showed exemplified his determination to sign off with yet another addition to his already impressive tally.

On numerous occasions, however, the mercurial Spaniard found himself denied by the brilliance of Fridge, although the seminal moment in the goalkeeper’s exemplary performance arrived just before half-time when he produced a remarkable reaction save from Raith defender Shaun Dennis, whose close-range header from a Jay Stein corner looked unsavable.

No doubt inspired by the heroics of their goalkeeper, County found their way back into the game as events unfolded and their intention of returning to Dingwall with a victory was illustrated when Steven Ferguson rattled Simon Miotto’s crossbar with a fiercely struck 25-yard effort.

As a goalless conclusion appeared inevitable, young County substitute Craig CAMPBELL came on for the last quarter of an hour and his headed goal from a Steven Hislop cross six minutes from the end confirmed the visitors’ superiority and extended their current unbeaten run to 15 games.

Ross County: Fridge; Perry, Robertson, Dlugonski (S McKay,52), Webb (Hastings, 37), Gilbert, Canning, Ferguson, Gethins (Campbell, 75), Hislop, Cowie. Subs: Bullock (gk) and Bolochoweckyj.

Return to the Page Index

Lorsports' Home Page