| Date | Saturday, 10 May 1997 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 3 |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 3:1 Montrose |
| Venue | Victoria Park |
| Attendance | 2,144 |
| Referee | Eric Martindale |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Matthew Lindsay for the Press & Journal. Ross County 3 Montrose 1 There was agony for Ross County as Forfar beat them to promotion only on goal difference--but manager Neale Cooper remained positive and promised a better performance next season. The County boss refused to dwell on what must be a bitter disappointment at the end of a remarkable first season in senior management. He said: "You take blows in football. But we will pick ourselves up and get on with it. Hopefully, it will make us a stronger team." Cooper Will add new players to the pool in the close season. He added: "I have spoken with the board and they have agreed to finance two or three new signings." County started sluggishly and Montrose took advantage. In 36 minutes Colin McGlashan turned a corner into the net. Top scorer Derek Adams equalised halfway through the second half in similar fashion and added a headed goal moments later. Andy MacLeod completed the win when he latched on to a cross from Billy Ferries. It rounded off Ross County's third, and by far their most successful, season in the Scottish League in satisfactory fashion. Cooper pointed out: "Last season 63 points would have been good enough to gain promotion. This year we have 67 and it is still not good enough. It is very disappointing. "I asked the players three weeks ago to finish with three wins and that is what they have done. I couldn't have asked them for any more." The team left the field to a standing ovation with heavy hearts but with their heads held high. Midfielder Innes MacDonald is poised to take the reins of the manager-less Angus club. He will meet with club officials tomorrow night for talks, with a view to taking over next season. MacDonald said: "I will put my thoughts forward to the board and hopefully things can get started from there." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Kevin Morgan, 2: William Furphy, 3: Robert (Robbie) Williamson, 4: Johnston Bellshaw, 5: Steven Ferguson 1, 6: Kenneth Gilbert, 7: Alexander (Sandy) Ross, 8: Derek Adams 2, 9: Keith (Billy) Ferries, 10: Andrew (Andy) MacLeod 1, 11: John Hewitt |
| Bench | 0: David MacKay, 0: Roy McBain, 0: Garry Wood |
| Montrose | |
| Manager | Dave Smith |
| Starting 11 | David Larter, Kevin Tindall 1, Ross Dorward, Tosh, Mark Haro, Scott Glass, Scott Taylor, Innes MacDonald, Colin McGlashan 1, Craig Mailer, Shaun Smith |
| Bench | Purves, Dave Fisher, Thompson |