| Date | Saturday, 06 December 2003 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Saint Johnstone 1:1 Ross County |
| Venue | McDiarmid Park |
| Attendance | 2,478 |
| Referee | Craig Thomson |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Press & Journal. Saint Johnstone 1 Ross County 1 Jim Hamilton could emerge as a key character in Ross County's chase for the championship after the former Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee United man netted a vital equaliser against First Division title rivals St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Saints veteran striker Mixu Paatelainen, who is already proving his worth in the Perth club's quest for promotion, was also on target in a finely-balanced game which left both managers, Billy Stark and Alex Smith, content with a share of the spoils. Paatelainen headed home a Brian McLaughlin cross after just 12 minutes, but Hamilton lobbed home goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert seconds after half-time with County's solitary on-target effort following neat work by David Winters. It was only the second start of the season for injury-jinxed Hamilton, and County manager Smith was delighted to see the 27-year-old get his first goal of the campaign. Smith, who also revealed that a strict fitness regime has resulted in Hamilton shedding a stone, said: "It was a nice goal and I've seen him do it so often. He will play a major part for us." Smith was delighted that his players refused to wilt after conceding an early goal. "Last season we'd have lost the match. Saints edged the first half, so I asked the question at the break to see if my players had the character and nerve needed to come back into the game. "They certainly answered me and, with a bit of steadiness near the end, we could have won the match." County keeper Colin Stewart required an X-ray after being carried off with 18 minutes remaining, but he only has a badly-bruised shin. Saints manager Stark felt that several of his players had suffered from the midweek CIS League Cup exertions at Ibrox, where the Perth men lost out 3-0 to Rangers in the quarter-finals. The former Aberdeen and Celtic midfielder said: "I can't criticise my players, but after Ibrox maybe there were heavy legs and a lack of sharpness." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Alexander (Alex) Smith |
| Starting 11 | 1: Colin Stewart, 2: Hugh Robertson, 3: Stuart Malcolm, 4: Stephen O'Donnell, 5: Mark McCulloch, 6: David Hannah, 7: John Rankin, 8: Jamie McCunnie, 9: James Hamilton 1, 10: Graham Bayne, 11: David Winters 1 |
| Bench | 0: Leslie Fridge, 0: Sean Webb, 0: Don (JNR) Cowie, 0: Conor Gethins, 0: Steven McGarry |
| Saint Johnstone | |
| Manager | Billy Stark |
| Starting 11 | John Robertson, Ryan Stevenson, Ian Maxwell, Mixu Paatelainen 1, Darren Dods, Ross Forsyth, Simon Donnelly, Chris Hay, Kevin Cuthbert, Brian McLaughlin, Paul Bernard |
| Bench | Peter MacDonald, Eddie Malone, Martyn Fotheringham, Craig Nelson, Keigan Parker |