Date	Wednesday, 03 February 1999
Competition	Scottish Cup
Fixture/Score	Clydebank 1:1 Ross County
Venue	Kilbowie Park
Attendance	396
Referee	Douglas McDonald
Comments	Match Report Report by Scott Macnab for the Daily Record. Clydebank 1 Ross County 1 Ross County were denied a shock Tennents Scottish Cup victory over First Division Clydebank last night after a cruel late own goal handed the hosts a barely deserved equaliser. The Third Division side led through a Neil Tattant goal, but the cash-strapped hosts were handed a lifeline when a late Bankies' free kick deflected off County's Mark Haro and passed his own keeper Nicky Walker. Both sides will replay next week in Dingwall for the right to face the winners of the Dundee United-Queen's Park clash at home in the fourth round. County boss Neale Cooper had been sceptical about the state of the Boghead pitch after Saturday's league meeting with Dumbarton and the marshy surface doubtless contributed to a dire opening period. Goalmouth action was sparse as the side slogged out an untidy midfield battle with sundry passes going astray and players clumsily falling over themselves. Perhaps expecting a dogfight, Cooper packed five across the midfield with Roy McBain left alone up front as the sole visitors' striker. And McBain created the first real threat of a break through after quarter of an hour when he laid a ball to Kenny Gilbert on the edge of the box, but the midfielder's left foot effort sailed wide. Bankies' first serious attempt came 11 minutes later when Colin Mcdonald lobbed the ball into the box from the left for Andy Brown to test Walker with a downward header. Home side boss Ian McCall had complained beforehand that he'd hardly been able to name 14 fit players--including himself--and it showed as County gradually took control. Frenchman Franck Escalon threaded a ball through to leave Steve Ferguson clean in on goal. but the midfielder failed to connect property on a poor effort, under pressure from Bankies defender Fraser Wishart. A minute later Ferguson was found wanting again in front of goal when he failed to connect with McBain's cross from the right. McBain was putting in a solid shift for the Highlanders and almost created the opening after 31 minutes when he worked his way into the box from the right flank and squared for Kenny Gilbert, but a last-ditch interception from Bankies' Innes Ritchie denied the County man. The home side had another let-off 10 minutes from the interval when Escalon surged forward from midfield and cut inside ex-Chelsea man Joe McLaughlin at the heart of the Bankies' defence but the Frenchman's right foot effort from the edge of the box was tipped wide by Colin Scott in the Bankies goal. Bankies boss Ian McCall clearly had some choice words for his men at the break and the First Division side quickly asserted itself after the restart. There still hardly seemed two divisions between the sides, but the hosts should have taken the lead in the 57th minute when on-loan Celtic youngster Marc Anthony cross from the left and Brown headed wide. Tarrant had assumed the solitary striker's role for County in the second half, but although now on the left flank McBain still created the best chance of the night in 64 minutes when he fed Ferguson in the box but with only the keeper to beat the midfielder side-footed over. A minute later the Highlanders were ahead. A long ball out of defence found Tarrant alone up front and the Englishman kept his head to lob the on-rushing Scott and watched the ball bounce into the empty net. The hosts struggled to raise the tempo after this and County looked a good bet to hold out for a surprise win. However, a stroke of luck handed the First Division side its leveller as Walker was left helpless when David Nichols' free kick from the edge of the box deflected off defender Haro and beyond the helpless keeper. Nichols and Anthony of Clydebank were the only players booked.
Ross County
Manager	Neale Cooper
Starting 11	1: Joseph (Nicky) Walker, 2: Stuart Golabek, 3: Ian Maxwell, 4: Mark Haro, 5: David MacKay, 6: Steven Ferguson, 7: Kenneth Gilbert, 8: Franck Escalon, 9: Roy McBain, 10: David Ross, 11: Neil Tarrant 1
Bench	0: David Matheson, 0: Garry Wood, 0: Keith (Billy) Ferries
Clydebank
Manager	Ian McCall
Starting 11	Colin Scott, Fraser Wishart, Ally McMillan, James McKinstry, Joe McLaughlin, Innes Ritchie, Davie Nicholls 1 1, Marc Anthony 1, Colin McDonald, Stevie Docherty, Andy Brown
Bench	Lee Gardner, Craig Taggart, Ian McCall