| Date | Saturday, 05 October 2002 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Saint Mirren 1:1 Ross County |
| Venue | Love Street |
| Attendance | 3,737 |
| Referee | Dougie Smith |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Press & Journal. Saint Mirren 1 Ross County 1 Striker Steve Hislop defied gloomy medical predictions to make a comeback which delighted Ross County manager Neale Cooper. Cooper said: "The lad went through a major operation in the summer when he had torn ligaments sewn back on. "The medical people told him he would not play again until January. But, with only 40 minutes in a reserve match, he has completed the full game." Cooper was pleased to see his side bounce back after their shock defeat by Alloa. They earned their point and they could have had three. With both teams looking to attack, it was an exciting first half for the fans and a surprise they had to wait until six minutes from the interval for the first goal. A long ball from Buddies ace Ricky Gillies was knocked on by Martin Cameron and Junior Mendes was allowed to run on, despite clearly being offside. Mendes made the most of his chance and lobbed advancing goalkeeper Tony Bullock. County were quickly level when Brian Irvine reacted in a crowded goal area to drive the ball into the roof of the net after the home defence had failed to clear a corner from the right. Cooper added: "I was looking for a reaction from last week and I got it, Junior Mendes caused us major problems early on, but we changed things at the interval and went to a back four. "We stopped them playing at the back, but we must stop giving the ball away and our passing has to get better." The Buddies had been looking for a victory to celebrate the parade of their 1959 Scottish Cup-winning side--on hand to mark the club's 125th anniversary. Caretaker manager John Coughlin, who must have a good chance of getting the job if his young players continue to show such enthusiasm, said: "The average is only 19 and the fans appreciate the effort being put in by the kids." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Anthony (Tony) Bullock, 2: Hugh Robertson, 3: Martin Canning, 4: Mark Perry 1, 5: Brian Irvine 1, 6: Kenneth Gilbert, 7: Steven MacKay, 8: Don (JNR) Cowie, 9: Mark McCulloch, 10: Steven McGarry, 11: Steven Hislop |
| Bench | 0: Leslie Fridge, 0: Paul Deas 1, 0: Steven Ferguson, 0: Conor Gethins, 0: Alexander Bone |
| Saint Mirren | |
| Manager | John Coughlin |
| Starting 11 | Ludovic Roy, Paul Rudden, David Lowing, Kirk Broadfoot, Simon Lappin, Ian Ross, Junior Mendes 1, Brian McGinty, Martin Cameron, Ricky Gillies, Jamie Dunbar |
| Bench | Kris Robertson, Chris Kerr, Andy Dow, Graham Guy, Mark Yardley |