Date	Saturday, 25 July 2026
Competition	Scottish League Cup
Fixture/Score	Airdrieonians 0:3 Ross County
Venue	Albert Bartlett Stadium
Referee	Abbie Hendry
Ross County
Manager	Stuart (Ketts) Kettlewell
Starting 11	1: Bradley Foster, 3: Lewis Strapp, 4: Akil Wright, 5: Lewis Reid, 7: Richard Chin, 9: Brian Graham, 10: Jamie Lindsay 1, 15: Dylan Smith 1, 20: Jack Turner 1 1, 22: Adam Emslie, 23: Ross Docherty
Bench	31: Bradley Wade, 11: Kieran Phillips, 18: Andrew MacLeod, 19: Luke McCarvel, 24: Lewis Jamieson 1, 28: Jamie Williamson, 34: Lewis MacKay, 43: Josh Reid, 45: Calum Brown
Airdrieonians
Manager	John Rankin
Starting 11	Ruairidh Adams, Craig Ross, Sam Fisher, Ewan Simpson, Gavin Gallagher, Matty Yates, Aj Bridge, Kwame Boateng, Adam Devine, Henry James, Kian Taylor 1
Bench	Jamie Sneddon, Dylan MacDonald, Evan Easton, Robbie Mahon, Liam McLeish, Cole Williams, Dylan Williams, Divine Iserhienrhien, Declan Gallagher 1
Attendance
Match Report	Ross County Goal Scorer: Jamie Lindsay (21') Jack Turner (51') Lewis Jamieson (76') Ross County Substitutions: Luck McCarvel for Richard Chin (57') Kieran Phillips for Jack Turner (72') Lewis Jamieson for Adam Emslie (72') Andrew MacLeod for Ross Docherty (81') Josh Reid for Lewis Strapp (81') Ross County Cautions: Jack Turner (54') Dylan Smith (90') Airdrieonians Substitutions: Dylan MacDonald for Kwame Boateng (58') Liam McLeish for Matty Yates (58') Robbie Mahon for Adam Devine (58') Divine Iserhienrhien for Henry Lister (80') Declan Gallagher for Kian Taylor (80') Airdrieonians Cautions: Kian Taylor (36') Declan Gallagher (87') Report by Paul Chalk for the Press & Journal. Airdrieonians 0 Ross County 3 Ross County have qualified for the second round of the Premier Sports Cup after a 3-0 victory at League One rivals Airdrieonians. With 11 points from a possible 12, they could be one of three seeded sides, depending on whether St Mirren defeat Dunfermline to win their section on Sunday. Anything less than a Saints win would give them a chance. The Highlanders went into this final Group D fixture one point clear of Premiership Dundee, who they beat in a penalty shootout on Tuesday after a pulsating 1-1 draw in Dingwall. Jamie Lindsay fired County ahead with a terrific rising strike and Jack Turner and Lewis Jamieson scored the goals in the second half to secure a deserved victory at the Albert Bartlett Stadium. County boss Stuart Kettlewell felt his team upped the tempo in the second half to run out deserved victors against the Diamonds. He said: “I was a wee frustrated at half-time because with our dominance I felt we could have created more chances and we did in the second half when it opened up. “Airdrie were trying to get behind the ball and to try and stifle us and suffocate us in their half of the pitch, which is fine, but we missed opportunities to get forward a little bit quicker. “I am going to be fussy and felt we could have been so much better. “That’s not being arrogant, I just felt there were so many more opportunities for us. “At times we passed it for the sake of passing it rather than trying to kill the game. “But we have won 3-0 away from home. When you look at results around the country, you see how difficult these games are to come through unscathed and top the group being a League One side and having a Premiership side in there. “It is a good position to be in. It is a convincing win. The task was to see whether we could top the group, which we have done. All in all, with a clean sheet, it has been a good day. “We wanted to reach the knockout stages. You ideally want to top your group and ideally be seeded. I think we have thoroughly deserved it.” On the back of a great cup campaign, the focus is now on the start of the League One campaign, which kicks off for Ross County at Peterhead next Saturday. The bookmakers have County as the favourites to win the title, but Kettlewell stressed that was the case in the division above last year when he was not the boss after the club had dropped down from the Premiership. He said: “The club were the bookies’ favourites to win the Championship as well last season, so that means absolutely nothing to me. “People might talk about us because we have looked good and sharp over pre-season and in the Premier Sports Cup, but it is all about our standards and what we do. “That could have been the case last year and it didn’t work out how the club wanted it. We have to make sure we deliver with what I feel is a decent team. ” We won’t focus on odds. We need to just focus on ourselves. “I think this will be a really tough League One and I’m not just saying that because we find ourselves in it. “A lot of the teams have strengthened and there have been good results for other League One clubs in the Premier Sports Cup. “It is going to be a real challenge for us, but I would rather be going into it feeling confident. “Had we been poor in pre-season and our fitness levels not shone through and scoring goals and creating chances and winning games we would be looking at one another asking a question or two. “The guys have been on point with almost every single thing we have asked of them. You still need to go and deliver when the next game comes.” Kettlewell has made nine signings since the Dingwall side slid out of the Championship, the club’s second successive relegation. And, for the fourth successive fixture, he kept the same starting XI, with eight points from a possible nine in the bag after their bonus point win against Dundee. There was a spot on the bench for new signing, former St Mirren forward Jamieson. Home manager, former Ross County midfielder John Rankin, has also been reshaping the Diamonds after being appointed in the summer following their relegation from the Championship via the play-offs. The signing of defender Declan Gallagher as Airdrie’s new player/assistant boss this week added interest to the game, having been County captain last term, playing 36 times for the Staggies before leaving the club this summer. He came off the bench in the latter stages of the contest. The opening 20 minutes or so set the tone, with both teams having a real go at one another, but not asking any serious questions of the goalkeepers. However, that changed on 21 minutes when Lindsay collected a pass from just outside the box after a neat exchange of passes and whipped a high shot into the top left corner of the net, offering no chance to Ruairidh Adams. And Lindsay was not far off the mark soon after that when Brian Graham lined him up for another shot, this time a low effort, which Adams saved. Then County captain Graham hooked a volley over the crossbar when he met a corner from Lewis Strapp. Airdrie were passing the ball around well at times, but the Staggies kept their shape, limiting any openings for their opponents. Early in the second half, it was almost 2-0 for the visitors when Dylan Smith, bursting down the right flank, saw his drive deflected off the inside of the post. On 51 minutes, though, the Highlanders netted their crucial second goal when Adam Emslie worked his way to the byline and Turner arrived to steer the ball into the net from close range. And, just three minutes after coming on, Jamieson slotted home a right-footed shot after being lined up by Graham to complete a resounding result for the Dingwall side.