| Date | Saturday, 01 November 1997 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 3 |
| Fixture/Score | Queen's Park 0:3 Ross County |
| Venue | Hampden Park |
| Attendance | 888 |
| Referee | Martin Clark |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Cliff Renfrew for the Daily Record. Queen's Park 0 Ross County 3 Neale Cooper was transformed from a raw kid into a top-notch pro who bagged a bundle of medals under Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen. Now Cooper's role is reversed and he's the boss of a bunch of Ross County youngsters he reckons have what it takes to go all the way to the top. The boys from the Black Isle have a sparkling future based on the way they clinically took apart promotion rivals Queen's Park. Cooper beamed: "That's the best display we've put together all season. "To go to the national stadium and put three past one of the best defensive teams in the league was great. "We have some magnificent prospects, such as 17-year-old Connor Campbell And Gary Wood, who is only 21. "These youngsters have a big future and with the more experienced players around them I'm confident we can win promotion." Strikers Campbell and Wood dragged Queen's defenders all over the pitch and clearly enjoyed showing off their skill on the big stage. Wood said: "I've developed a really good understanding with Connor and we enjoy playing up front together. "The whole team is playing well just now and it was a great result for us to come down to Glasgow and win so convincingly." County dominated the game and almost took the lead in the 18th minute when Kenny Gilbert fired in a low 20-yard drive which went inches past. On the half-hour mark, Wood beat Lindsay Hamilton with a head flick from a Roy McBain cross, but the ball skimmed over the bar. Eight minutes later County took the lead when Hamilton fluffed a clearance to full back Jerry Farrell who skipped past him to score. They made it 2-0 a minute after the restart when McBain charged through the Queen's defence and hit a powerful cross which Ian Maxwell slid into his own net. Queen's had a goal by Scott Edger chalked off after a foul on County keeper Nicky Walker. And the Dingwall side wrapped up the point three minutes from the end. Campbell raced on to a through ball from Wood and poked it under Hamilton. Queen's boss Andy McGlennan admitted his side were totally outplayed by on-form County. He said: "We were beaten by the best footballing side in the Third Division." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Joseph (Nicky) Walker, 2: Mark Haro, 3: William (Billy) Herd, 4: David MacKay, 5: Kenneth Gilbert, 6: Gerard Farrell 1, 7: Steven Ferguson, 8: Roy McBain, 9: Derek Adams, 10: Garry Wood, 11: Connor Campbell 1 |
| Bench | 0: Stuart Golabek, 0: William Furphy, 0: Thomas Callaghan |
| Queen's Park | |
| Manager | Stewart Houston |
| Starting 11 | Lindsay Hamilton, Ross Caven 1, Graeme Elder, Ian Maxwell 1, Barry Rossiter, Jim Mercer, David Arbuckle, Kevin McGoldrick, Scott Edgar, Peter McNamee, Paul O'Brien |
| Bench | Danny Ferry, Scott Ramsay, Iain Fitzpatrick |