| Date | Saturday, 29 November 2003 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Ayr United 1:3 Ross County |
| Venue | Somerset Park |
| Attendance | 977 |
| Referee | Douglas McDonald |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Mike Wilson for the Press & Journal. Ayr United 1 Ross County 3 Alex Smith may turn his back on the transfer window after County's win at Ayr kept the Dingwall men firmly in the First Division title hunt. Smith praised his team for the way they overcame horrendous conditions to move to within two points of the top. With a crunch game against joint leaders St Johnstone coming up on Saturday, the County manager says he is happy with what he has. Smith said: "The running up front of Conor Gethins was superb and with a wee bit more luck and experience he should have scored a hat-trick. "John Rankin was excellent, Mark McCulloch was an unsung hero while Hugh Robertson used his experience very well. "Now we've got Jim Hamilton back, while Martin Canning played his first game since February in midweek, so it's like two new players in the squad. "We'll look at the situation in terms of bringing in more players during the transfer window, but I have to say I'm happy." Smith's side looked to be cruising when they hit two goals inside two minutes midway through the first half. Stephen O'Donnell fired home a Gethins pass and then Rankin fooled goalkeeper Ludovic Roy with a wind assisted 40-yard free kick which caught a freak gust and flew into net. Ayr pulled one back through English trialist Lee Hardy and then a Stewart Kean effort hit a post before Rankin sealed it with his second goal eight minutes from time. Smith added: "I thought we played very well and after going 2-0 up we conceded a goal when in control of the game. In the second half, we did well against the elements, but give credit to both teams for serving up a good game in difficult conditions. "We haven't moved up any after the win, but we've now moved closer to the top and with only two points separating the top six it's great for the fans to be involved in this group. "Ayr are a young team who need a wee break, but Campbell Money is a great fighter with plenty of guts and I'm sure he'll turn it around." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Alexander (Alex) Smith |
| Starting 11 | 1: Colin Stewart, 2: Sean Webb, 3: Hugh Robertson, 4: John Rankin 2, 5: Jamie McCunnie 1, 6: David Hannah, 7: Stephen O'Donnell 1, 8: Mark McCulloch, 9: Graham Bayne, 10: David Winters, 11: Conor Gethins |
| Bench | 0: Leslie Fridge, 0: Don (JNR) Cowie, 0: Steven MacKay, 0: Steven McGarry, 0: James Hamilton |
| Ayr United | |
| Manager | Campbell Money |
| Starting 11 | Ludovic Roy, David Craig, Mark Campbell, Marc Smyth 1, William Kinniburgh, Dougie Ramsay, Scott Chaplain, Aaron Black, Stephen Whalen, Stewart Kean, A Trialist 1 |
| Bench | John Hillcoat, Michael Dunlop, Willie Lyle, Andrew Ferguson, Robert Burgess |