Date	Saturday, 20 October 2012
Competition	Scottish Premier League
Fixture/Score	Ross County 3:2 Hibernian
Venue	Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park
Attendance	4,070
Referee	Steven McLean
Comments	Match Report Report by Charles Bannerman for the BBC. Ross County 3 Hibernian 2 Ross County secured their first home Scottish Premier League win of the season after a goal-laden encounter with Hibernian at Victoria Park. Leigh Griffiths gave the visitors an early lead before Stuart Kettlewell levelled for the Staggies from Richard Brittain's ninth-minute corner. Iain Vigurs' acute finish then put County ahead, but James McPake's volley restored parity before the break. Colin McMenamin was County's hero, netting Gary Glen's 83rd-minute flick. County's win gave them their first points in their four outings since St Johnstone ended their 40-game unbeaten league run in September. Hibs' breakthrough on eight minutes came after Griffiths slid the ball through keeper Michael Fraser's legs to the delight of a buoyant 500-strong travelling Hibs support. However, their joy was short-lived since within a minute Brittain's free-kick was headed away for a corner which Hibs failed to defend properly, allowing Kettlewell to blast it home from close range. By now County were getting the better of the game and just after the half hour they went ahead. A high ball over the top fell to man-of-the-match Vigurs who found the net from an incredibly tight angle outside the right post. The first half still was not over and Hibs got a very late equaliser when a poor free-kick from Griffiths found McPake who manoeuvred in front of goal to fire in a fine left-footed volley. The second half initially had little of the excitement or goalmouth action of the first and took all of 20 minutes to get going. But with 69 minutes on the clock Paul Hanlon had a long shot stopped by Fraser and soon after at the other end Grant Munro headed closely over from a corner. Next, Griffiths twice came close to what could have been a winner for Hibs when he first shot over and then grazed the top of the bar. But the winner came for County when Gary Glen found substitute striker McMenamin poked it into the net from close in to give the SPL newcomers from Dingwall their second win in the top tier. McMenamin might then have made it four while Hibs also pressed hard for the point which just eluded them. Ross County manager Derek Adams was delighted the victory over Hibernian arrested his side's winless run. Colin McMenamin's second half goal gave County a 3-2 win in Dingwall - their first victory since August. "Performance-wise, we've been excellent but getting that win or getting that point over the last three games has been difficult," said Adams. "The only dip in form was the results. Just to win the game, it's massive in this league." Stuart Kettlewell and Iain Vigurs netted for the hosts after Leigh Griffiths' opener for Hibs and James McPake levelled before the break. But substitute McMenamin's 83rd-minute strike ensured a home win. "I felt maybe he could nick a goal at some point in the game," said Adams of McMenamin. "The first half performance was excellent and it was a wee bit undeserved that we went in 2-2 at half-time. They had two opportunities in the first half. "We've got one of the best defensive records and we're scoring goals as well. "This is a difficult league and we've been able to close the gap between ourselves and Hibernian to four points and close the gap on the likes of St Mirren and Inverness as well." Adams was also full of praise for youngster Steven Ross, who started in attack. "Young Steven Ross, who made his debut today, and [Mihael] Kovacevic, who made his full debut, did exceptionally well," added the manager. "[Ross is] a 19-year-old from the local community. It's been excellent that he's come through the youth system and done particularly well."
Ross County
Manager	Derek Adams
Starting 11	1: Michael Fraser, 3: Marc Fitzpatrick, 4: Grant Munro, 5: Scott Boyd, 7: Stuart Kettlewell 1, 10: Richard Brittain, 11: Iain Vigurs 1, 12: Rocco Quinn 1, 22: Mihael Kovacevic, 24: Steven Ross, 29: Mark Fotheringham
Bench	25: Mark Brown, 6: Ross Tokely, 8: Paul Lawson, 9: Colin McMenamin 1, 20: Gary Glen, 26: Tony Dingwall, 27: Adam Porritt
Hibernian
Manager	Pat Fenlon
Starting 11	Ben Williams, Ryan McGivern, Paul Hanlon, James McPake 1 1, Alan Maybury, Jorge Claros, Paul Cairney, David Wotherspoon, Tom Taiwo, Leigh Griffiths 1, Eoin Doyle
Bench	Sean Murdoch, Lewis Stevenson, Daniel Handling, Samuel Stanton, Ivan Sproule, Ross Caldwell, Shefki Kuqi 1