| Date | Saturday, 08 March 1997 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 3 |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 4:0 Cowdenbeath |
| Venue | Victoria Park |
| Attendance | 1,460 |
| Referee | Bobby Tait |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Derek McGregor for the Daily Record. Ross County 4 Cowdenbeath 0 Three games in and Sammy Conn already knows why football management drives sane men crazy. The new Cowdenbeath gaffer could barely contain his anger at full-time...and his players' faces told you they knew Exactly how he felt. Conn came into the job determined to win the respect he claimed the side hadn't shown former boss Tom Steven. But he raged: "Everybody now knows they've had their chance. "If they don't shape up they're going to be shipped out. Simple as that. "Some players have shown me they just aren't good enough. We want winners here. "I left the house at quarter to seven this morning for Dingwall. It's a long way back for me--more so after this defeat." It was a real drubbing-- and no wonder Conn was furious when you see goals like the one Kenny Gilbert notched. The smallest man on the field--just 5ft 6in--leapt to Head in the third and rub it in for the visitors. It was the former Aberdeen player's 22nd birthday and he celebrated in style. Frankly, Neale Cooper's flying side should have had Eight on a day when the chase for the second promotion slot took a decisive turn. County's closest rivals Forfar could only draw at Arbroath, leaving Cooper's men with a four-point cushion and a game in hand. Gilbert, at Pittodrie for four years before joining Hull City in December 1995, could have come home to bigger club than County. St Johnstone and Dundee also wanted the little full-back or mid-fielder whose tenacity is a prime asset. But Gilbert, teamed up with former Dons Derek Adams and Kevin Morgan, never flinched in his decision to take the high road to Dingwall. And what drives him on is a feeling he owes Neale Cooper and County supremo Roy MacGregor. He said: "The potential here is amazing. It's up to the players now to get us up into the Second Division and beyond. "It was the potential, not the money, that was the only reason for me joining County. "I was very impressed with the manager and Roy MacGregor. "The manager's very passionate, a bit like myself. "I like to get going on the pitch. I maybe get a bit too emotional at times. "I used to play up front and score with headers when I was a young lad. "It's not very often--but I was just glad to get one for the club. "They've gone out of their way to get me up here and I just want to pay them back." Boss Cooper has built a decent team in just nine months with the right back-up. He's signed the right guys--18-goal Derek Adams a standout. Adams netted in 57th and 88th minutes, while the well-travelled Sandy Ross headed home brilliantly eight minute from half time. Cooper said: "We didn't start the game in the right frame of mind. "The players needed a kick up the backside at half time-- and responded by showing a brilliant attitude in the second half." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Stephen Hutchison, 2: William (Billy) Herd, 3: Johnston Bellshaw, 4: Julian Broddle, 5: Roy McBain, 6: Kenneth Gilbert 1, 7: Gerard Farrell, 8: Gordon Connelly 1, 9: Derek Adams 2, 10: Keith (Billy) Ferries 1, 11: Alexander (Sandy) Ross 1 |
| Bench | 0: Paul Bradshaw, 0: Stuart Golabek, 0: Robert (Robbie) Williamson |
| Cowdenbeath | |
| Manager | Sammy Conn |
| Starting 11 | Neil Russell, Kenny Munro, Graham Meldrum, Craig Sinclair, Martin Humphreys, Ritchie, Dougie Coulston, Sammy Conn, Craig Winter, Garry Wood, Trialist |
| Bench | Martin Scott, Willie Stewart, Murray Urquhart |