ROSS COUNTY FOOTBALL CLUB

Match Reports Season 2002-2003: Arbroath

PAGE INDEX

• 3/8: County Win With Ease (3-0)
• 19/10: County On The Goal Trail (4-0)
• 21/12: County Start Slowly And Pay The Price (1-2)
• :

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Three Ross County strikes proved decisive at Gayfield Park as the Dingwall men took the game by the scruff of the neck after an hour and a half of midfield toil.

In the early stages neither team managed to threaten their opponents’ goal with every cross ball drifting harmlessly past or being blasted into orbit. At first, Arbroath had the territorial advantage, winning fouls and corners in the County half, but they could not produce a delivery of any real quality.

For County, Brian Irvine and Mark Perry connected first with every ball and 'keeper Tony Bulloch was solid when required. In midfield Arbroath’s John Cusick and John McGlashan fought hard against Steven Ferguson and Kenny Gilbert.

On 32 minutes Cusick went close with a chip from 35 yards when Bullock had left his area to head clear. It was at this point that County began to conduct the play. On 39 minutes Steven McKay spotted Alex Bone in the box and promptly sent a perfect cross into his path but, with no-one around, Bone volleyed wide to miss the best chance of the match so far.

His disappointment didn’t last long however when he rounded off a fine move to give his side the lead. Once again McKay started it when his pass found Steven McGarry who spread the play to Don Cowie and when his cross landed at BONE'S feet County took the lead.

The Lichties attempt at a comeback looked increasingly futile as County tapped the ball around with precision.

Nevertheless a second goal looked on the cards and it came soon after when Bone set up COWIE whose snap shot left Hinchcliffe with no chance.

Eight minutes later on it was 3-0 to County. A Cowie corner kick was headed down by Irvine and FERGUSON reacted quickly to put the game beyond the hosts.

Ross County: Bullock; McCulloch, Deas, Perry, Irvine, Gilbert, McGarry (Bayne, 74), Ferguson, Bone, Cowie and Mackay (Wood, 74). Subs: Fridge (gk), Webb, and Canning.

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Ross County have been perplexingly poor against stuffier opposition this season, but found a straight-forward answer yesterday. Two goals in as many opening minutes would have rapidly snuffed out any defensive intentions in the Arbroath camp.

More importantly for the home side, this was a first league win since August 10, and ended a downward drift.

On top of that, just three days ahead of their now almost habitual annual trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts, County found their shooting boots and there can have been no more pleasing a sight for manager Neale Cooper than Steven Hislop, who had to undergo a serious ankle operation in the summer, rattling the net twice.

Steven McKAY met a Steve McGarry cross with a header that flew beyond Craig Hinchcliffe’s grasp for the first after 60 seconds, and barely as long had passed before McKay turned provider with his cross nodded goalward by McGarry and HISLOP, in only his second game back, stabbed a volley past the helpless 'keeper.

County were virtually assured the points in 40 minutes as again HISLOP was the sharpest with his head at a McKay corner that Brian Irvine powered back across goal for him to finish.

It took a spectacular 30-yard pile-driver from midfielder Hugh ROBERTSON to round off the scoring in 74 minutes.

Ross County: Bullock; Canning, Perry, Irvine, Bayne (Gethins), McCulloch, Gilbert, Robertson (Deas), McKay, McGarry and Hislop (Higgins). Unused Subs:

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It may be the season of goodwill, fraternity and general bonhomie between men, but it is hard to believe that Alex Smith’s new regime in Dingwall has extended such virtues to the opposition.

Yet yesterday, Ross County could scarcely have been more giving to their hosts, all but laying three points upon a silver platter as Arbroath reduced the gap between themselves and the promised land of First Division safety to just eight points. Only in injury time did the gifts stop, Steven Ferguson clearing Jordan Tait’s shot off the line to prevent any further embarrassment. Not a moment too soon.

In fact, scarcely had the frost thawed on the mugs of Bovril when Smith’s calamity kids gave a glimpse of howlers ahead. Paul Brownlie nearly capitalised on one botched clearance, then Brian Irvine presented himself as a one-man muck-up machine with three errors in as many minutes.

In the 15th minute, Arbroath’s already overdue breakthrough arrived and failed to buck County’s emerging pattern of ineptitude. Gavin Swankie skipped over Martin Canning’s challenge on the edge of the box, squaring towards Greg Henslee in the middle. Under pressure, Mark Perry intervened and his outstretched leg lifted the ball over 'keeper Tony Bullock. A real Christmas turkey of an own goal, but no less than Arbroath deserved.

You can never please John Brownlie, it seems. "Get in there," he barked from his dug-out, a cry at once joyously echoed by the adjacent band of home supporters. Such talents for engendering audience participation are wasted here. Give the man a panto. And let County’s defence audition for the back end of the carnival horse.

They could do so little right, Perry in particular. Craig Feroz, seizing upon a deft touch from Andy Cargill, scythed through the centre of a crowded area, but saw his excursion halted by Perry’s blatant tug, and he was extremely fortunate to escape with a yellow card when red seemed the more likely colour.

Feroz himself stepped up for the penalty, but he slammed his effort too close to Bullock, who saved with minimal effort, letting the guests off the hook, justice miscarried.

Arbroath did not relent, a trait which might give Brownlie some optimism for the relegation dogfight which looms. Steven Florence was next to threaten, Feroz again the target. It was a sweet, deep delivery which again left County’s rearguard motionless, the powerful header at its end thwarted only by Bullock’s agile leap toward the top corner.

More dominant spells than this have, of course, passed unrewarded. Number two for the visitors arrived two minutes before the interval, a classic moment of farce which wouldn’t have looked out of place within the forthcoming Only Fools and Horses Christmas Special.

Feroz, bustling incessantly, broke forward before feeding fellow returnee Greg Henslee out on the right. Covering on the back post, Kenny Gilbert was guilty of ball-watching as Gavin Swankie virtually crawled on his hands and knees to nip in behind the defender’s shins and nod home his first strike of the campaign.

It was woeful stuff from the higher-placed line-up. Onlooking Clyde manager Alan Kernaghan, whose side take on the Highlanders next Saturday, will hardly have been quaking in his expensive-looking brown leather boots.

Arbroath, coming off such a poor run, did not dither in enjoying their rare superiority, however. That old Yuletide chestnut: "It’s the most wonderful time of the year" blared out. But wonderful the second half was not. Smith’s tinkering at the break, replacing Mark McCulloch with Don Cowie, lent nothing to a revival, and with two further bookings for his team by the finish, frustration was the only visible evidence of change as the Lichties maintained their poise.

"It is a monkey off our back," said Brownlie afterwards. "Just what we needed."

Ross County: Bullock; Robertson (Ferguson, 75), Irvine, Perry, Canning, Gilbert, McGarry (Hislop, 63), Bone, Bayne and McCulloch (Cowie, 46). Unused Subs: Fridge (gk) and Webb.

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