| Date | Saturday, 17 November 2001 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3:0 Ross County |
| Venue | Caledonian Stadium |
| Attendance | 4,513 |
| Referee | Alan Freeland |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Paul Third for the Press & Journal. Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3 Ross County 0 Caley Thistle manager Steve Paterson believes Saturday's comprehensive victory over Ross County was the most one-sided derby he can recall. Mark McCormick's own goal and a Dennis Wyness double made sure the spoils went to the home side, which now faces a league and CIS League Cup quarter-final double-header against Ayr United. Paterson said: "As the game progressed we became more dominant. We got a break with the first goal but County defended deep and we were able to press them and get our just reward. "We looked quite comfortable in a game which wasn't as hectic and pulsating as some derbies have been and the result was a fair reflection of our play. "When we play to our full potential, we can beat any team in the First Division because the players are motivated and playing well, so I can't complain." Paterson was delighted to see his side extend its winning run at the end of a week which saw the club's finances making headlines. He said: "Financial analysts believe our wages are quite good and that we need to drive up revenue by getting more people through the gate. "If we got 500 extra people here every other Saturday, we would break even. "There's a good feeling about the club at the moment and the fact we're top scorers in the division again is great." Paterson has already turned his attention to next week's games against Ayr United. He said: "The CIS League Cup game is shaping up to be a massive occasion as there's a semi-final place at stake, but we couldn't be in better shape." Caley Jags signalled their intentions from the outset with Mike Teasdale, Bobby Mann and David Bagan all seeing long-range efforts saved by County keeper Tony Bullock in the opening half-hour. With the County defence swamped, their resistance finally crumbled in the 37th minute when Wyness sent Russell Duncan clear down the right. His cross was missed by Brian Irvine. That caught McCormick off guard and his attempted clearance flew past Bullock to put Caley Thistle ahead. Irvine and striker Stevie Hislop were replaced by Neale Cooper at half-time in an attempt to change the pattern of the game in the second half. But the home side doubled their advantage in 59 minutes, with the County defence again contributing to their own down-fall. Paul Ritchie robbed Mark Perry 25 yd out but, after winning the ball back for County, Ian Maxwell was caught by Wyness and he beat Bullock from 12yd. That ended the game as a contest and it was no surprise when Caley Jags added a third 14 minutes later. Barry Robson drove past Perry and his cutback left Wyness to fire the ball high into the empty net from 16yd. Angry County boss Neale Cooper said: "Derbies should be great matches but I was disappointed with my players' attitudes. We gave away a daft goal and our use of the ball in general was very disappointing. "That performance was not acceptable and I'd like to apologise to County supporters who came to watch us today because our application was abysmal. "I can't explain why we played so poorly and that's the most annoying thing. "There were very few positives for us to take from the game and I can assure our fans there will be changes for our next game." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Anthony (Tony) Bullock, 2: Sean Webb, 3: Mark Perry, 4: Ian Maxwell 1, 5: Hugh Robertson, 6: Richard Hastings, 7: Brian Irvine, 8: Don (JNR) Cowie, 9: Steven Hislop, 10: Conor Gethins, 11: Mark McCormick 1 1 |
| Bench | 0: Stefan Gonet, 0: Cedric Anselin, 0: Alexander Bone 1, 0: Neil Tarrant, 0: Karim Boukraa |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | |
| Manager | Steve Paterson |
| Starting 11 | Jim Calder, Robert Mann, Mike Teasdale, Ross Tokely 1, Stuart McCaffrey, Roy McBain, Russell Duncan, Barry Robson, David Bagan, Dennis Wyness 2, Paul Ritchie |
| Bench | Les Fridge, Stuart Golabek, Charlie Christie, Graeme Stewart, Martin Bavidge |