Date	Saturday, 19 September 2015
Competition	Scottish Premiership
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:0 Partick Thistle
Venue	Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park
Attendance	3,531
Referee	Greg Aitken
Comments	Match Report Report by Scott Davie for the BBC. Ross County 1 Partick Thistle 0 A Liam Boyce header was all Ross County needed to beat a Partick Thistle team that remains winless at the foot of the Scottish Premiership. Boyce guided home a Jamie Reckord cross to convert one of the few clear-cut chances of a poor spectacle. Sean Welsh was denied by County goalkeeper Scott Fox and Chris Robertson headed powerfully over at the other end. And, as time ticked away, Robbie Muirhead drew a save from Fox. The result moves Ross County to within a point of third-place Hearts ahead of their tricky home game against high-flying Aberdeen on Sunday. By contrast, Alan Archibald's Partick Thistle are rooted to the bottom of the division and the reason why is all too clear after an eighth game without a win. They have only scored two goals all season and it's now an incredible 462 minutes since Kris Doolan got the last of that pair. It was an indication of how little there was to get excited about early on that the Jags fans concentrated on taunting their former keeper Fox while the County supporters saluted Dundee United's Billy McKay's goal against their Highland neighbours Inverness at Tannadice. That all changed for the Staggies fans when their side hit the front with a goal of delightful simplicity as Reckord sped clear down the left flank. The full-back's curling cross was perfectly flighted and placed to allow Boyce to steer in his sixth goal of the season with a text-book header. Thistle found it hard to get bodies far enough forward to support lone striker Doolan at times but they very nearly scored on a rare counter attack. The home defence was caught too far up the park as Doolan spotted the run of Welsh in the inside right channel and sent him clear with an adroit pass. The midfielder drilled in a diagonal shot but was frustrated to see former Fox pull off an impressive diving save. Jim McIntyre was without several key players because of injury and the Ross County manager's luck did not get any better at the start of the second half. Michael Gardyne was forced off with an knock in 51 minutes and replaced by Jonathan Franks, who himself was not fit enough to start the game. It looked like Martin Woods would join the casualty list when he accidently twisted his knee and the club physio initially signalled the player was done for the day. However, the midfielder recovered quickly enough to return to the field and curl a 30-yard free-kick narrowly wide of Thomas Cerny's left-hand post before eventually giving way to Stewart Murdoch. It's a measure of how difficult the visitors found it to get near the home goal that it took them 55 minutes to win a first corner and even then there was no threat from the delivery. At the other end, Jackson Irvine whipped over an outswinging corner from the left and Robertson nodded over. Tony Dingwall replaced the ineffectual Brian Graham up front for County but having lost a late leveller at Motherwell last week McIntyre must have been concerned at how deep they defended late on. Muirhead very nearly provided an equaliser for the Jags near the end with a powerful 25-yard drive but Fox made a marvellous block. Then, in stoppage time, Steven Lawless missed a golden chance to earn a precious point and finally end that goal drought but, from six yards, hooked his shot over. Alan Archibald insists he cannot fault his Partick Thistle players for determination and commitment after their 1-0 defeat to Ross County. However, he says they must find the quality to go with it if the club are to climb off the bottom of the league. The Jags are without a single win in nine games in total this season. "It's a tough run that we are on at the minute but we have got to keep going to get ourselves out of it," Archibald told BBC Scotland. "You saw towards the end that they kept on going, trying to get that elusive goal, and fair play to them for that. "It's encouraging that we are not losing a lot of goals but it doesn't make it any better as we are still bottom of the league. "A small gap has started to open up at the foot as well now so we need to get back to winning ways and get the goal to take the pressure off the guys." The 1-0 defeat at Dingwall means Thistle have now gone 462 minutes without scoring a goal while overall it is just two in 13-and-a-half hours of competitive football. Ironically, it took two good saves by former Thistle goalkeeper Scott Fox to make sure that dismal record stayed intact after a match of very few chances from either side. Steven Lawless also hooked a shot over the bar in stoppage time and that lack of punch is obviously worrying for their manager with a visit to Fir Park next. He is looking at bringing in free agents to try to add a creative spark to the team but insists they are in a real battle to turn that poor run around. Archibald said: "It was a frustrating afternoon as I think it's fair to say that there wasn't a lot in the game. "We lost a terrible goal defensively but I don't think County created a lot. "The way the things are going it's important for us to get the first goal and we didn't get it. "We are still trying to bring in players, not just up front but in other areas of the pitch as well." By contrast Ross County now have as many points on the board in mid-September this time round as they did on St Valentine's Day last season. County manager Jim McIntyre admits it was not his team's best performance of the season, but was delighted to get the win to strengthen their place in the top four. He said: "We didn't play all that well today but there are all sorts of ways to win a match and that showed the character of the players they way they did it. "I'm delighted to see the job through because from our position a year ago I know what Thistle are going through right now and how hard they will be fighting to change it. "There's not much between the teams and we knew they would be very determined in how they approached things so it was an important win for us. "We have had a lot of injuries to deal with this week so it's pleasing, but the objectives stay the same as we were always after a top six place this season. "We made no secret of that but while a few wins can move you up the league and few defeats can move you just as quickly the other way." McIntyre is still looking to strengthen his own striking options and Dutch striker Alex Schalk, the former NEC Breda and Go Ahead Eagles player, will be returning next week to continue his trial period.
Ross County
Manager	Jim McIntyre
Starting 11	1: Scott Fox, 2: Marcus Fraser, 3: Jamie Reckord, 5: Scott Boyd, 6: Christopher Robertson, 7: Michael Gardyne, 9: Brian Graham, 10: Liam Boyce 1, 24: Raffaele De Vita, 36: Jackson Irvine 1, 42: Martin Woods
Bench	21: Gary Woods, 8: Ian McShane, 12: Richard Foster, 14: Darren Holden, 17: Jonathan Franks, 18: Stewart Murdoch, 19: Tony Dingwall 1
Partick Thistle
Manager	Alan Archibald
Starting 11	Tomas Cerny, Daniel Seaborne, Callum Booth, Frederic Frans, Mustapha Dumbuya 1, Sean Welsh, Abdul Osman, Stuart Bannigan, Ryan Stevenson, Steven Lawless, Kris Doolan
Bench	Gary Miller, David Amoo, Ryan Scully, David Wilson, Declan McDaid, Robbie Muirhead, Kevin Nisbet