| Date | Saturday, 08 August 1998 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Greenock Morton 0:1 Ross County |
| Venue | Cappielow Park |
| Attendance | 1,619 |
| Referee | Alan Gemmill |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Daily Record. Greenock Morton 0 Ross County 1 Neil Tarrant was struggling to get a game anywhere before Ross County rescued him from the wilderness. On Saturday the 19-year-old striker paid back boss Neale Cooper big style when he headed the goal that sent the Third Division side into todays League Cup third round draw. With just seven minutes left, he rose to head in a superb cross from the right--and dump First Division Morton out of the competition. The goal was just reward for the youngster's efforts to get a start in the game. He said: "I was a schoolboy signing at Darlington but when a new manager came in he did not want me and I was released. "I wrote to lots of clubs and played trials all over the country but no one signed me. "But then Ross County manager Neale Cooper got in touch. I played a couple of trials for him and was asked to sign. "Thar was my biggest game so far and I am delighted to get that goal. "It was hot out there but we all kept going for the full 90 minutes. I thought we deserved to win." Cooper doesn't care who they meet next and said: "Everyone wants a big club so they can make money, but we will take anyone. We deserved to win. "All of my players gave 100 per cent but Tarrant and Derek Adams up front put in a huge amount of work. "Tarrant is a young lad but has great potential. "But I have warned the platers that the league is our priority. "I hope our form in the league does not sag because of this result, as happened last season when we did well in the cup." Disappointed Morton boss Billy Stark said: "Ross County dictated the game and there are no excuses from us. They deserved to win and we have to work harder." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Joseph (Nicky) Walker, 2: William Furphy, 3: Ian Maxwell, 4: David MacKay, 5: Kenneth Gilbert, 6: Franck Escalon, 7: Roy McBain, 8: Alexander Taylor, 9: Neil Tarrant 1, 10: Derek Adams, 11: David Ross |
| Bench | 0: William (Billy) Herd, 0: Murray Hunter, 0: Steven Ferguson |
| Greenock Morton | |
| Manager | Billy Stark |
| Starting 11 | David Wylie, Paul Fenwick, John Anderson, Derek Collins, Maurice George, Harry Curran, Paul Blair, Owen Archdeacon, Warren Hawke, Kevin Twaddle, Peter Duffield |
| Bench | Jazz Juttla, John Morrow, Alan Blaikie |