| Date | Saturday, 10 September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Saint Johnstone 1:1 Ross County |
| Venue | McDiarmid Park |
| Attendance | 2,665 |
| Referee | Eddie Smith |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Press & Journal. Saint Johnstone 1 Ross County 1 County manager John Robertson was happy with the away point--and the former Hearts Boss believes his side's new-found resilience could prove the critics wrong. Robertson is convinced self-belief will grow in the County ranks after the Dingwall men kept the impressive home side at bay to preserve their unbeaten record and stay on top of the First Division. Robertson said: "It was a point gained. We began the day in first place and finished it in first place. People don't think we can stay the distance, but we toughed it out." Robertson has strengthened the County side despite budget cuts and he could only envy opposite number Owen Coyle's strength in depth. St Johnstone are still wondering how they came out of this game without full points--despite finding themselves behind early on. County were rarely seen as an attacking force. But Robertson's tactical changes helped stifle home attacks after the break. Saints' only real moment of discomfort was self-inflicted in the first period when Simon Mensing was caught in possession and tugged back Nuckowski as he broke clear. The defender escaped with a caution and Robertson said: "I thought the referee had a very good game, but that was decision which could have gone either way." Coyle was delighted with the character and style of his team. he said: "Losing a bad early goal wasn't ideal but we did more than enough to win the game. "We had five or six players missing and I was happy with the standards set by the lads who came in." Saints were missing regulars Kevin James and Jason Scotland, but Coyle could still field a side packed with experienced players. Robertson admitted County were second best before the interval, with Saints passing the ball nicely and carving out a series of chances. The Highlanders rode their luck after snatching a 90-second lead through Polish recruit Maciej Nuckowski and Saints looked favourites to take all three points when Peter MacDonald rifled hone an equaliser minutes from the interval. Before his goal, MacDonald struck the bar with a close-range header and missed a simple tap-in at the back post. Stevie Milne slammed a shot inches past and Paul Sheerin's 18-yard lob squeezed over the bar. But MacDonald wouldn't be denied and in the 39th minute he powered home a 25-yard equalised from a Sheerin free kick to grab a share. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | John Robertson |
| Starting 11 | 1: Stuart Garden, 2: Lionel Djebi-Zadi, 3: Sean Webb, 4: Martin Canning, 5: David Cowan, 6: Mark McCulloch, 7: John Rankin, 8: Fergus Tiernan, 9: Steven McGarry, 10: Alexander Burke, 11: Maciej Nuckowski 1 |
| Bench | 0: Joseph Malin, 0: James Lauchlan, 0: Don (JNR) Cowie, 0: Gary McSwegan, 0: David Winters |
| Saint Johnstone | |
| Manager | Owen Coyle |
| Starting 11 | Kevin Cuthbert, Steven Anderson, Goran Stanic, Kevin Rutkiewicz, Simon Mensing 1, Paul Sheerin 1, Darren Sheridan, David Hannah, Ryan McCann, Steven Milne, Peter MacDonald 1 |
| Bench | Mark Paston, Scott Paterson, Ryan Stevenson, Stephen Dobbie, Owen Coyle |