Date	Friday, 26 April 2013
Competition	Scottish Premier League
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:0 Dundee United
Venue	Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park
Attendance	3,183
Referee	Kevin Clancy
Comments	Match Report Report by Kenny Crawford for the BBC. Scottish Premier League Top Six Ross County 1 Dundee United 0 Ivan Sproule's second-half header brought Ross County a first win in almost 15 years over visitors Dundee United, who had Barry Douglas sent off. Iain Vigurs and Steffen Wohlfarth had early chances for County while Jon Daly's header was close to giving United a half-time lead. Sproule netted from Vigurs' cross and Douglas's red card for a foul on the goalscorer shortly after seemed harsh. The crossbar denied Richard Brittain from doubling County's lead. Sproule being in the right place at the right time to register his sixth goal for Ross County since he joined in January means his side are propelled up to fourth place in the Scottish Premier League. With eyes on European football next season, they are now breathing down the necks of northern neighbours Inverness CT with a Highland derby still to play. It was also the Northern Irishman's foot which was caught late by United's left-back Douglas in a second-half challenge that referee Kevin Clancy deemed worthy of a red card, when most at Victoria Park expected to see yellow. The Tayside outfit remain in sixth position and this was their first defeat by County since two goals from their current manager Derek Adams put them to the sword in a League Cup tie in 1998. On a poor surface, Vigurs had the hosts' early attempts on goal; firstly testing United goalkeeper Radoslaw Cierzniak with a low left-footed effort after Willo Flood's mis-control, then slicing wide from Sproule's centre. Flood, taking longer to get up to speed than visiting manager Jackie McNamara would prefer, was caught in possession by County midfielder Paul Lawson, who in turn unleashed a searching pass through the middle for Sproule. Cierzniak, though, rushed out to clear well. Sproule capitalised on Flood's third error in quick succession to send a sweeping ball to Wohlfarth, but the Dingwall side's bustling German striker had his shot from 10 yards blocked by United defender Brian McLean. Working out how to cope with Tangerines front-man Daly is a work in progress for defences around the country and his header from Douglas's free-kick would have found the bottom corner had it not been for Michael Fraser's diving save. Lawson had already shown an aptitude for long-range passing and after the break he did so again, to great effect. This time he found Vigurs on the left-hand side of United's box, who stole a yard on Sean Dillon in making for the bye-line and dinked a perfect cross to the back post for Sproule to nod into the net under pressure from Douglas. The former Hibs striker had an eventful night, recovering from the foul that resulted in Douglas's dismissal to cut back the ball for another Vigurs half-chance. Captain Brittain, top scorer for club so far in 2012-13, has been instrumental in a successful County side and his 25-yard strike was nearly his 11th goal of the season, but it thumped the crossbar. Ross County manager Derek Adams is revelling in his side's lofty position in the Scottish Premier League. Victory against Dundee United means fourth-place County are two points off the third spot which would bring European football to Victoria Park. Adams told BBC Radio Scotland: "We've put ourselves in a fabulous position. "We couldn't have hoped for any better. Fourth position tonight and chasing that European spot - we shouldn't be talking about it but we are." Ivan Sproule's sixth goal of the season brought County their first ever league win over United. He nodded in at the back post after Paul Lawson's superb pass found Iain Vigurs, who supplied the perfect cross. Adams added: "We've closed the gap between ourselves and Inverness. It's a fantastic points total we're on now so it's been a good night. "We played well and created good opportunities in the game - we probably should've won by a greater margin." United boss Jackie McNamara felt aggrieved that his full-back Barry Douglas was red-carded for a sliding challenge on Sproule in the second half. "I couldn't see it," said Adams. "It was right across the other side. I'm not sure how serious it was. "The linesman is in a perfect position. He's right on top of it and he's made that decision. "But before that we were in control of the game and after that happened we were in total control of the game. "It was a difficult night with blustery conditions, but we probably should have put the game to bed sooner." Canadian centre-back Andre Hainault made his home debut for Ross County after playing against St Johnstone last week. "I thought he did well tonight," Adams said. "It was hard for him last week in his first start and tonight he's won a lot of headers, he's defended well against Jon Daly and in one-on-one situations."
Ross County
Manager	Derek Adams
Starting 11	1: Michael Fraser, 4: Grant Munro, 8: Paul Lawson, 10: Richard Brittain, 11: Iain Vigurs 1, 12: Rocco Quinn, 13: Andre Hainault, 15: Steffen Wohifarth, 16: Ivan Sproule 1, 18: Evangelos Oikonomou, 22: Mihael Kovacevic
Bench	19: Paul Gallacher, 5: Scott Boyd, 7: Stuart Kettlewell, 14: Martin Scott, 21: Alex Cooper, 23: Archie Macphee, 24: Steven Ross
Dundee United
Manager	Jackie McNamara
Starting 11	Radoslaw Cierzniak, Sean Dillon, Barry Douglas 1, Brian McLean, John Souttar 1, William Flood, John Rankin, Gary Mackay-Steven, Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Gauld, Jon Daly 1
Bench	Philip Anderson, Luke Johnston, Richie Ryan, Mark Millar, Michael Gardyne, Ryan Dow, Rory Boulding