| Date | Tuesday, 13 October 2020 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 2:1 Arbroath |
| Venue | Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park |
| Attendance | |
| Referee | Steven McLean |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Andrew Henderson For the Ross-shire Journal Ross County 2 Arbroath 1 Played Behind Closed Doors The message to Ross County's squad ahead of tonight's Betfred Cup group match against Arbroath is a clear one – you must improve. After last week's capitulation from 3–0 up against Montrose, Stuart Kettlewell will have left them with no doubt that a repeat performance cannot be allowed to happen, but the Smokies will be tough opposition for them. In the Championship last season, Dick Campbell's side were the surprise package, competing in and around the play-off places before the season was curtailed with them in fifth. It looks like they have started the new campaign in similar form, taking maximum points from their first two games, and memories will have resurfaced of the last time these two teams met when Arbroath won 4–1 at Gayfield. However, history shows that the home team wins more often than not out of these two, and if the Staggies can make that ring true convincingly it will go a long way to boosting confidence before Premiership action resumes. Ross County: Coll Donaldson is available for County again after serving a suspension at Montrose last week, while Connor Randall is back in training after sitting out the last couple of games. Tom Grivosti will continue to push for his first appearance in almost exactly a year after being an unused substitute in the last two matches, but Ross Draper has had a setback with his calf issue and will not feature. Josh Reid is isolating after Scotland Under-19s manager Billy Stark tested positive for Covid-19 while on international duty, and loan pair Ross Doohan and Stephen Kelly are expected back in Dingwall tomorrow after Scotland Under-21s duty. Arbroath: More rotation could be in order for Arbroath after Dick Campbell made six changes to his side for the win over Montrose on Saturday. With six points already on the board and the knowledge that his side could build an unassailable lead at the top of the group over Ross County with a win tonight, he will want to play his strongest team – but exactly what that looks like after a busy summer may still be up in the air. Kris Doolan and Scott Gallacher both made the move to the Red Lichties, while James Craigen made his loan from Fylde permanent. Campbell also brought in Hearts midfielder Connor Smith and Aberdeen duo Miko Virtanen and Michael Ruth on loan, so he is not short of options for the new season. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Stuart (Ketts) Kettlewell |
| Starting 11 | 1: Ross Laidlaw, 2: Connor Randall, 3: Carl Tremarco, 5: Billy Mckay, 9: Billy Mckay, 14: Jermaine Hylton 1, 17: Regan Charles-Cook, 19: Charlie Lakin, 22: Jordon Tillson 1, 25: Coll Donaldson, 27: Ross Stewart 2 (1 pen) |
| Bench | 31: Ross Munro, 7: Michael Gardyne 1, 8: Oliver Shaw, 10: Michael O'Connor, 11: Iain Vigurs, 12: Tom Grivosti, 15: Keith Watson, 16: Alexander Iacovitti, 24: Harrison Paton |
| Arbroath | |
| Manager | Dick Campbell |
| Starting 11 | Derek Gaston, Jason Thomson, Ricky Little, Thomas O'Brien, David Gold, Michael McKenna 1, Dale Hilson 1, Bobby Linn, Scott Stewart, Luke Donnelly, Miko Virtanen |
| Bench | Gavin Swankie, Kris Doolan, Michael Ruth, Connor Smith, James Craigen, Scott Gallacher |