| Date | Saturday, 17 April 2004 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Saint Johnstone 1:1 Ross County |
| Venue | McDiarmid Park |
| Attendance | 2,169 |
| Referee | John Rowbotham |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Press & Journal. Saint Johnstone 1 Ross County 1 If this was a result which all but ended St Johnstone's lingering hopes of promotion, it was a performance which whetted the appetite of County fans. Only a sterling second half display from Perth goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert prevented all three points heading back to the Highlands. The game was notable for two bizarre goals, with on-loan Rangers goalkeeper Graeme Smith misjudging a Chris Hay header in the second minute to present Saints with the lead. Then Darren Dods levelled things up before half-time with an own goal when, under no pressure, he dinked a Stephen O'Donnell free kick over his stranded goalkeeper. County went on to create chance after chance in the second period, but a combination of Cuthbert and wasteful attackers ensured there were no more goals. It took a point-blank Cuthbert save to halt a net-bound John Rankin header after he had tipped a curling O'Donnell effort round the post. Late on, a deflected David Hannah drive posed problems and, in the closing seconds, Jim Hamilton lobbed an effort agonisingly wide. County manager Alex Smith enthused about the mature performance of 16-year-old Invergordon youngster Neil McDonald in a left back role. And he believes a youthful squad is in good shape for next term. He said: "There will be very little surgery carried out. "We will bring in a couple of fresh faces at most. This group will take us forward." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Alexander (Alex) Smith |
| Starting 11 | 1: Graeme Smith, 2: Martin Canning, 3: James Lauchlan, 4: Neil McDonald, 5: David Hannah, 6: John Rankin, 7: Mark McCulloch, 8: Stephen O'Donnell, 9: Jamie McCunnie, 10: Steven McGarry, 11: James Hamilton |
| Bench | 0: Stuart Malcolm, 0: Don (JNR) Cowie, 0: Sean Higgins, 0: David Winters |
| Saint Johnstone | |
| Manager | Billy Stark |
| Starting 11 | Kevin Cuthbert, Ian Maxwell, Darren Dods, Ross Forsyth 1, Stuart Taylor, Mark Reilly, Simon Donnelly, Paul Bernard, Brian McLaughlin, Chris Hay 1, Rudi Vata |
| Bench | Craig Nelson, Mark Baxter, Ryan Stevenson, Keigan Parker, Mixu Paatelainen |