| Date | Saturday, 17 April 1999 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 3 |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 1:2 Queen's Park |
| Venue | Victoria Park |
| Attendance | 3,759 |
| Referee | Kevin Bisset |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Alasdair Fraser for the Daily Record. Ross County 1 Queen's Park 2 Neil Tarrant thought he'd walked into a ghost town when he first arrived in Dingwall. But Saturday's title party ensured that the 19-year-old striker's lasting impression of the place will be of packed streets thronging with happy fans. Tarrant will today head for signing talks at Aston Villa--but the supporters left him in no doubt he will remain a local hero in Dingwall as County paraded their trophy on an open-top bus. Tarrant is desperate to seal the £200,000 deal which could give him a crack at Premiership glory with Villa. But the 24-goal hitman admits it will be a real wrench to leave a place he couldn't even find on the map when County first made their move 17 months ago. Tarrant said: "You see all the pleasure the fans have taken from our success and I just wish them well. "I had no idea this place would leave such a lasting impression on me when I first arrived. "The chance to make the grade with a club as big as Aston Villa is one I hope to be able to take. "But it has only been made possible by taking the chance Ross County gave me in the first place. "I will now always see Ross County as my first club and, if I go, I will always keep tabs on how they're doing. "I'll leave with so many good memories. I love playing here and it has born great to be part of this success story." County flopped to defeat, but it mattered little to the fans who had waited five seasons to taste league glory. The Dingwall men walked out to a rapturous reception in front of 3759 fans-- their biggest league crowd of the season. And although they failed to cap their title win with the all-out attacking display boss Neale Cooper had hoped for, the normally subdued Jail End support cheered and sang all afternoon. It was such an uncharacteristically poor performance by County that Cooper was named Man of the Match, Although the honour was clearly fitting on the day Scottish League chiefs brought the silverware north. The first half was a scrappy, mistake-strewn affair. Danny Ferry had a strong penalty claim for Queen's Park in 15 minutes after a lunge from Stuart Golabek. But County went ahead three minutes later as Tarrant made what may be his final mark for County with a superb set-up. A Mark Haro free-kick was nodded across goal by the Darlington-born youngster and ex-Dundee midfielder John McGlashan raced in to net with a volley from square on goal. County were stunned eight minutes into the second half when James Brown nipped through the middle of their defence to score. The striker showed superb control under pressure as he trapped a long, high ball before slipping the ball past young stand-in keeper Garry Stewart. County struggled to make any impact in attack and their frustration grew in 86 minutes when Kevin Finlayson sliced a cross from the extreme right of the field over the head of keeper Stewart. The defeat did nothing to puncture the party mood--or the optimism of Ross County's directors. Chairman Roy MacGregor promised the club would provide Cooper with the funds required to launch a major challenge for promotion to Division One. He said: "We are looking to add another six or seven full-time professionals to our pool. "We are willing and able to invest to bring quality north and my hope is to secure another promotion success next season." MacGregor admitted he could have axed Neale Cooper after two promotion failures in successive seasons. He added: "Every manager deserves the chance to serve his apprenticeship and Neale has turned the corner. "He is a young manager who is learning all the time." Cooper dedicated County's success to the late local journalist Willie Wilson and midfielder Kenny Gilbert, who was in hospital awaiting eye surgery. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Garry Stewart, 2: Ian Maxwell, 3: Stuart Golabek, 4: Mark Haro, 5: John McGlashan 1, 6: Paul Kinnaird, 7: Roy McBain, 8: Steven MacKay, 9: Franck Escalon, 10: Neil Tarrant, 11: David Ross |
| Bench | 0: Alexander Taylor, 0: Garry Wood, 0: Keith (Billy) Ferries |
| Queen's Park | |
| Manager | Graeme Elder |
| Starting 11 | Jim Chalmers, Ross Caven, Denis Connaghan, Barry Rossiter, Alex Martin, David Graham, Kevin Finlayson 1, Danny Ferry, Scott Edgar, Jim Brown 1, Johnny Whelan |
| Bench | Alan Reid, Barry McColl, Paul Tyrrell |