Ross County Database

DateSaturday, 13 December 2014
CompetitionScottish Premiership
Fixture/ScoreMotherwell 2:2 Ross County
VenueFir Park
Attendance3,193
RefereeWillie Collum
CommentsMatch Report
Report by Alasdair Lamont for the BBC.
Motherwell 2 Ross County 2
Motherwell's new manager Ian Baraclough ran the full gamut of emotions as he watched his side concede a last-minute equaliser against Ross County.
The visitors will feel they did enough to at least earn a point, with Tony Dingwall scoring late in either half.
Goals by John Sutton and Henrik Ojamaa looked to have ended Kenny Black's tenure as caretaker on a winning note.
But the late leveller means that County remain two points behind Motherwell, albeit they move off the bottom.
Dingwall's opener was one of few highlights of a forgettable opening period and it came in the closing seconds.
Jamie Reckord's cross from the left fell to the winger at the back post and, although his initial drive was pushed away by Dan Twardzik, Dingwall drilled low into the net.
Paul Quinn should have given the visitors a greater cushion early in the second half, but blazed over with the goal gaping after Twardzik had saved from Jake Jervis.
And that was to prove pivotal as Motherwell substitute Lionel Ainsworth helped turn the game in their favour.
He who created the equaliser for Sutton, his pace and trickery buying him time and space to plant a cross right on the striker's head only a yard from goal.
If County were shocked by that, they were stunned by Ojamaa's strike a few moments later, the Estonian running unchallenged before arrowing a shot beyond Antonio Reguero.
Jim McIntyre's men were undeterred, though, and Michael Gardyne thought he had brought them level only for his close-range shot to be cleared off the line.
As County scrapped for an equaliser, Twardzik did well to clutch a Jackson Irvine header and watched gratefully as Gardyne clipped the ball against a post.
But, just as the game looked to have slipped beyond County, Dingwall rifled the ball past the keeper for the second time, earning them a deserved equaliser.
Ross County manager Jim McIntyre felt the Highlanders had created enough chances to build up a bigger lead after Dingwall's opener.
"We've got to put the ball in the back of the net," he said. "It's something that we've been talking about lately that we need to do better.
"We deserved to win the match, from what we created. I thought we were the better side.
"The showed great team spirit and deservedly equalised.
"He [Dingwall] is enjoying his run in the team at the moment. He's definitely got goals in him. Hopefully he can get some more."
The point took Ross County off the bottom of the table with new basement side St Mirren's game in hand against Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic on Sunday.
"Psychologically, it's a big boost for us," added McIntyre.
Ross County
ManagerJim McIntyre
Starting 111: Antonio Reguero Chapinal, 6: Steven Saunders, 8: Richard Brittain, 9: Jake Jervis, 12: Jamie Reckord, 15: Yoann Arquin, 23: Graham Carey, 26: Martin Woods, 30: Tony Dingwall 2, 36: Jackson Irvine, 43: Paul Quinn
Bench21: Mark Brown, 7: Joseph Cardle, 10: Filip Kiss, 14: Darren Maatsen, 25: Lewis Toshney, 31: Terry Dunfield, 40: Michael Gardyne
Motherwell
ManagerKenny Black
Starting 11Dan Twardzik, David Ferguson, Mark O'Brien, Stephen McManus, Zaine Francis-Angol, Josh Law, Keith Lasley, Stuart Carswell, Iain Vigurs, Henrik Ojamaa 1, John Sutton 1
BenchLionel Ainsworth, Gunnar Nielsen, Lee Erwin, Nathan Thomas, Morgyn Neill, Chris Cadden, Ross MacLean