| Date | Saturday, 30 April 2005 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Saint Mirren 1:0 Ross County |
| Venue | Love Street |
| Attendance | 3,906 |
| Referee | Charlie Richmond |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Press & Journal. Saint Mirren 1 Ross County 0 Ross County manager Alex Smith would love to see his side climb into the top half of the First Division table with a win in its final game of the season, against Clyde this weekend. But County will need to find their shooting boots to achieve that feat after a shot-shy afternoon at Paisley. Smith admitted: "We rarely troubled Saints' defence or had a shot of conviction. Saints played with a bit of zip, but we were very disappointing. I'll be looking for a big improvement against Clyde." Perhaps the match at Love Street painted a picture of the season for the two sides. There is no doubt that County have been left feeling disappointed that they never got into the promotion hunt, with Falkirk racing away with the title. But for St Mirren and their fans, there is a real feeling of hope they have advanced over the past year as they have moved up to second place in the First Division table. David van Zanten, who drove in the first-half winner, said: "That was a nice time to get my first goal of the season. I volleyed it from a Kirk Broadfoot cross and it was going wide when it struck a defender. Luckily I got the rebound and made sure that I did not miss the second time." Perhaps, in its own way, that also summed up the bad luck County have had this term. The Buddies handed a debut to goalkeeper Chris Smith, but County never really tested him. And it was County goalkeeper Colin Stewart who yet again proved how good he is, saving a Broadfoot free kick and then denying Hugh Murray. As the home side continued to press, John Baird came close, and then Stewart was in action again to deny both Stuart Kean and Murray. Buddies boss Gus MacPherson said: "We defended very well again and that comes from our work ethic." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Alexander (Alex) Smith |
| Starting 11 | 1: Colin Stewart, 2: Martin Canning, 3: John Robertson, 4: Jamie McCunnie, 5: Sean Kilgannon, 6: Fergus Tiernan, 7: Mark McCulloch, 8: Don (JNR) Cowie, 9: John Rankin, 10: Steven McGarry, 11: Alexander Burke |
| Bench | 0: Stuart Garden, 0: Neil McDonald, 0: Kevin McKinlay 1, 0: Sean Higgins, 0: David Winters |
| Saint Mirren | |
| Manager | Gus MacPherson |
| Starting 11 | Christopher Smith, Kevin McGowne, David van Zanten 1 1, Andy Millen, Kirk Broadfoot, Hugh Murray, Mark Reilly, Simon Lappin, Alan Reid, John Baird, Stewart Kean |
| Bench | Stevie Woods, Jon O'Neil, Craig Molloy, David McKenna, Ricky Gillies |