Ross County Database

DateSaturday, 16 August 1997
CompetitionScottish League Division 3
Fixture/ScoreRoss County 0:1 Queen's Park
VenueVictoria Park
Attendance1,152
RefereeIan Elmslie
CommentsMatch Report
Report by Alasdair Fraser for the Daily Record.
Ross County 0 Queen's Park 1
County boss Neale Cooper took a leaf out of his old boss Alex Ferguson's book--to tear a strip off his flop stars.
Cooper experienced his share of blistering Fergie tirades at Aberdeen and he unleashed one of his own when Queen's Park nicked a shock win.
Cooper emerged from a 20-minute dressing room showdown to rap: "I told the players they lacked fire in their bellies.
"All the pretty football in the world wasn't going to win that game--they needed to show steel, character and passion.
"Some of the performances out there today just won't do.
"We knew they would be a big, strong side, and we knew they would be stuffy--that's the way Queen's Park play.
But I told the players in no uncertain terms that they'd let themselves, the club and the fans down.
"I don't care if I upset players by telling them what I think. That's Exactly the sort of treatment I got when I was a player, believe me."
County controlled play throughout, but they were stunned when Scott Edgar strolled up the field to collect a long ball and fire the 83rd minute winner.
To make matters worse, Stuart Golabek had a weak penalty kick palmed away by Queen's keeper Lindsay Hamilton 12 minutes earlier.
It was County's second penalty miss in a fortnight after Gary Wood's blunder against Falkirk, but Cooper Added: "These things happen in football--as I said last week.
"Stuart volunteered for the penalties and after Gary Wood's miss last week. I was told he should be the man. We'll have to look at it again, because at that stage in the match it was costly."
Overjoyed Queen's chief Andy MacGlennan said: "We were pleased with the resilience the players showed.
"Before the game, we were stressing to the players that the Third Division isn't always about pretty football--result can be carved out through pure graft.
"We've got a couple of big lads up front now in Scott Edgar and James Mercer and they caused a pot of problems towards the end.
"One swallow doesn't make a summer, though. We came up here and gained a similar result last season, so nothing can be taken for granted."
Ross County
ManagerNeale Cooper
Starting 111: Kevin Morgan, 2: Stuart Golabek, 3: William Furphy, 4: Mark Haro, 5: Alexander Taylor, 6: Gerard Farrell, 7: Roy McBain 1, 8: Kenneth Gilbert, 9: Steven Ferguson, 10: Garry Wood, 11: Andrew (Andy) MacLeod
Bench0: Robert (Robbie) Williamson, 0: Derek Adams 1, 0: Alexander (Sandy) Ross
Queen's Park
ManagerStewart Houston
Starting 11Lindsay Hamilton, Ross Caven, Graeme Elder, Ian Maxwell, Barry Rossiter, Jim Mercer, Martin Hardie, Scott Edgar 1, Peter McNamee, Paul O'Brien, Stephen Cullie
BenchDanny Ferry, David Arbuckle 1, Derek Wilson