| Date | Wednesday, 19 August 1998 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 2:0 Dundee United |
| Venue | Victoria Park |
| Attendance | 3,206 |
| Referee | George Simpson |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Mike Tremlett and Dave Edwards for the Press & Journal. Ross County 2 Dundee United 0 After Extra Time Ross County's two-goal hero Derek Adams want Rangers in this morning's Scottish League Cup quarter-final draw after last night's dramatic extra-time heroics against Dundee United. Aberdonian electrical engineer Adams, who came on as a second-half substitute, blasted United out of the cup with a 30-yard wonder free kick and a calm second counter to give County, playing in their first competitive tie against a Premier League club, a historic victory. "I want Rangers in Dingwall, because I'm a big Rangers fan." he said. "I was disappointed to miss Saturday's 8-0 win over Albion Rovers, but I was told I would get on tonight if the match was tight and I was delighted to get both goals. "The free kick was the most important goal of my career so far and, while I got both goals, all 13 County players out there tonight must share the credit for a wonderful result." Beaming County boss Neale Cooper will wait with baited breath this morning to see what quarter-final fate awaits his heroes with only four top-flight sides in the last eight. "I don't care who we get--beating a Premier League side like Dundee United is reward enough. "We set out to close United down and frustrate them in the hope that we could nick a goal and the game plan worked perfectly. "If I was looking for signs that the memory of missing promotion so narrowly last season was being worked out of our system I got it tonight." While Cooper and his players were celebrating last night, crest-fallen United Boss Tommy McLean still had his players locked in the away in the dressing-room half an hour after the final whistle. When Adams Thundered home a 30-yard free kick in the dying seconds of the first period of extra time the crowd of 3,206 erupted and from then on there was only going to be one winner. To add salt into United's Wounds with only two minutes to go Adams burst through the spread-eagled United defence to round Sieb Dykstra and send the ball into the far corner of the net. Every County player was a Hero, but central defender Ian Maxwell was immense, alongside man of the match former Scottish international goalkeeper Nicky Walker. In that extra-time period Walker rode his luck when Gary McSwegan's close-range drive beat him all ends up, but came back off the post hit his knee and went out for a corner. Then Craig Easton forced Walker into a tremendous diving save to stop his 16-yard grounder. But County held on to secure their place in the last eight |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Joseph (Nicky) Walker, 2: William Furphy, 3: Ian Maxwell, 4: David MacKay, 5: Steven Ferguson, 6: Roy McBain, 7: Alexander Taylor, 8: Franck Escalon, 9: Kenneth Gilbert, 10: Neil Tarrant, 11: David Ross |
| Bench | 0: William (Billy) Herd, 0: Murray Hunter, 0: Derek Adams 2 |
| Dundee United | |
| Manager | Tommy McLean |
| Starting 11 | Sieb Dykstra, Bernard Pascual, Magnus Skoldmark 1, Maurice Malpas, Jamie Dolan, Craig Easton, Robbie Winters, Tonny Mols, Darren Patterson, Joe Miller, Roger Boli |
| Bench | Mark McNally, Kjell Olofsson, Gary McSwegan |