| Date | Saturday, 09 March 2013 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish Premier League |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 3:2 Celtic |
| Venue | Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park |
| Attendance | 6,051 |
| Referee | Willie Collum |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Chris McLaughlin for the BBC. Ross County 3 Celtic 2 A stoppage-time header from Steffen Wohlfarth saw Ross County hit back from two goals down to stun Celtic. County keeper Michael Fraser saw a Charlie Mulgrew corner sail straight in and could only claw a curling chip from Gary Hooper into his own net. But Grant Munro thundered in a shot from 18 yards while Sam Morrow scrambled in from close range to level. And an entertaining second half ended on a note of high drama as Wohlfarth nodded in to seal a memorable victory. It was the German striker's first goal since his January move to the Highlands and extends the Staggies' unbeaten run to 11 games. County have not lost since a 4-0 defeat at Celtic Park on 22 December, collecting 27 points along the way - two more than Celtic have gathered in 12 games. The visitors, who saw their Champions League adventure come to a end in Turin on Wednesday, have now lost two consecutive Scottish Premier League matches but retain a healthy 15-point lead at the top. County's win was all the more impressive considering they were without the in-form Ivan Sproule and suspended captain Richard Brittain, while Fraser continued to deputise for the injured Mark Brown. Conditions were difficult on a sandy, bumpy pitch with an icy, strong wind above but the visitors adapted well initially, with Hooper's angled shot turned away by Fraser. The resulting corner was cleared but Mulgrew got another chance to deliver and made the most of it as he swerved the ball straight in. Fraser then saved well from Miku after the Venezuelan had played a one-two with Hooper but he was beaten again soon after. Dylan McGeouch laid the ball back for Hooper and the English striker clipped a first-time curler towards the far post from 18 yards with Fraser only able to help it into the net as he was caught off his line. County responded in style when Munro seized upon a poor defensive header from Kelvin Wilson to thump an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Fraser Forster's net. And the home side were level on 36 minutes when Iain Vigurs nutmegged Mulgrew on the right wing and skipped round Joe Ledley before hanging a cross to the far post. Morrow and McGeouch challenged for the ball and the County forward reacted quickest to force the ball home. Anthony Stokes should have put Celtic back in front with the last kick of the half but he drilled wide from 15 yards after Miku had found him unmarked. The hosts had a let-off after the interval when Fraser palmed out Hooper's fierce shot and it bounced off the head of defender Mihael Kovacevic before clipping the top of the crossbar. Celtic's Efe Ambrose was next to breath a sigh of relief when his poor back-header fell to Martin Scott but the County midfielder's shot on the stretch was scuffed straight into the arms of Forster. Kovacevic, Stuart Kettlewell and Munro all fired ambitious efforts wide as Celtic grew jittery and County gained the ascendancy. Wohlfarth had a great chance with 10 minutes left when he raced onto a pass from Paul Lawson but he scooped a first-time effort wide of the target with Fraser beaten. As the final seconds ticked by, the replacement striker was given another opportunity and he snatched a famous win when he was first to a long ball by Evangelos Ikonomou and nodded over the onrushing Forster. Ross County manager Derek Adams has his sights set on a top six finish in the Scottish Premier League following Saturday's win 3-2 against Celtic. The Staggies bounced back from 2-0 down and Steffan Wolfarth nodded in an injury-time winner to extend their unbeaten run to 11 matches. "We're trying to get into the top six," said Adams. We have three games to go, the top six is our next ambition. "The SPL was our first, and now we look like we've done that." Charlie Mulgrew and and Gary Hooper had put Celtic ahead inside 20 minutes in the SPL match at Dingwall before Grant Munro and Sam Morrow levelled before the break. Substitute Wolfarth's added-time header sealed a stunning comeback for the Highland outfit and results elsewhere mean County now have a two-point lead over rivals Inverness who sit one place below them in fourth. "It was a very good victory for us," said Adams. "Thoroughly deserved. Celtic didn't create any opportunities in the game. They were 2-0 up without really kicking a ball. "Two crossed balls into the box that we know our goalkeeper should have dealt with better. Over the 90 minutes we had more opportunities than Celtic did." County have not lost since a 4-0 defeat at Celtic Park on December 22, taking 27 points from their subsequent 11 matches - two more than Celtic have claimed in 12 games. and while he knew it would be a mountain for his players to climb against the champions elect, Adams insisted it was the correct result on the day. "I thought it was going to be difficult to get back into the game," said Adams. "We had the belief in the side to pass the ball, close down Celtic and create opportunities. "We knew Celtic would take a risk and push bodies forward. They did, and we were able to get at the back four or three. "We passed the ball well at times, which isn't difficult to do that here. "Then we had to close down Celtic, who have quality throughout their side - but I feel the best team on the day won the match because of the chances we created. "From my point of view, I thought throughout the side, we were great." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Derek Adams |
| Starting 11 | 1: Michael Fraser, 4: Grant Munro 1, 5: Scott Boyd, 7: Stuart Kettlewell, 8: Paul Lawson, 11: Iain Vigurs, 12: Rocco Quinn, 14: Martin Scott, 17: Samuel Morrow 1, 18: Evangelos Oikonomou, 22: Mihael Kovacevic |
| Bench | 28: Sean McCarthy, 13: Andre Hainault, 15: Steffen Wohifarth 1, 20: Gary Glen, 21: Alex Cooper, 24: Steven Ross, 27: Adam Porritt |
| Celtic | |
| Manager | Neil Lennon |
| Starting 11 | Fraser Forster, Efe Ambrose, Rami Gershon, Kelvin Wilson, Charlie Mulgrew 1, Joe Ledley, Baram Kayal 1, Dylan McGeouch, Miku Fedor 1, Anthony Stokes, Gary Hooper 1 |
| Bench | Lukasz Zaluska, Thomas Rogne, Kris Commons, Tom Rogic, Paddy McCourt, Lassad Nouioui, Tony Watt |