| Date | Saturday, 02 October 1993 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish Qualifying Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 2:1 Keith |
| Venue | Victoria Park |
| Attendance | |
| Referee | |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Bill McAllister for the Press & Journal. Ross County 2 Keith 1 If Ross County beat Inverness Thistle in Dingwall this Saturday, they will be the only Scottish League applicants in the Scottish Cup. Elgin and Caley are already out and only "half" of Inverness United--Thistle--remain in the Qualifying Cup. The Dingwall club would love to accompany their presentational push to Scottish League teams with a silverware swoop. If they show the kind of determination which saw them clobber Keith, the Ross raiders could be on course for their first Qualifying Cup triumph in 20 years and only their second ever. County have not been in full flow so far this term, but manager Bobby Wilson said: "I saw signs that some players are now moving up a gear and our old rhythm is returning. Clinching a Scottish Cup spot could change our season for the better and, of course, it would keep us in the eye of those who will decide on the Fourth Division places." Wilson's team had to battle desperately at times after playing with 10 men from the seven minutes before half-time. Ex-Don Andy MacLeod, his judgment clouded in a sea of red mist, knocked over Colin Maver with a two-handed push and, inevitably, set the shower tap turning for him. But while County responded to their handicap with character and composure, Keith were left mourning the failure to snatch a victory which seemed within their grasp. Manager Jim Hamilton commented: "You'd think County were the team with the extra man. We'd been playing good football but in the second half we started running with the ball, which is no way to make your extra man count." The Maroons were hit with the late withdrawal of playmaker Neil Gibson, who has a torn achilles and will be out for three weeks. Ironically, he begins a three-game SFA ban from this weekend. The defensive qualities of Sandy MacLeod and Chris Somerville glittered as County held off the Keith surge and counter-attacked brightly. After Alan DUFF's 35th-minute flick over the advancing keeper, Neil THOMSON fired Keith level in 53 minutes and it looked briefly as if they would go on and win. But Brian GRANT, who moves next week to a new job in Aberdeen but will be available regularly, conjured up a spectacular winner in 63 minutes when he pounced on Duff's clever lay-off to chip a beauty. It was his 10th goal of the season and typical of his confidence in tight situations to summon-up deadly chipping of the ball. Keith centre half Jim Collie is a raw youngster, but the big fellow has genuine potential. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Robert (Bobby) Wilson |
| Starting 11 | 1: Stephen Hutchison, 2: Christopher (Chris) Somerville, 3: Craig Reid, 4: Robert (Robbie) Williamson, 5: Alexander (Sandy) MacLeod, 6: Andrew (Andy) MacLeod, 7: Tommy Drummond, 8: Brian Grant 1, 9: Alan Duff 1, 10: Gordon Connelly, 11: Barry Wilson |
| Bench | 0: Johnston Bellshaw, 0: Keith (Billy) Ferries |