| Date | Saturday, 07 March 1998 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 3 |
| Fixture/Score | Arbroath 1:1 Ross County |
| Venue | Gayfield Park |
| Attendance | 784 |
| Referee | John Underhill |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Ronnie MacKay for the Press & Journal. Arbroath 1 Ross County 1 Ross County blow hot and cold too often their inability to string together wins is beginning to put pressure on manager Neale Cooper. The Dingwall men are now 13 points off Third Division leaders Alloa, albeit with two games in hand, but their dreams of promotion are fading fast. Cooper has had to live in the shadow of Highland rivals Caley Thistle competing in a higher division this season and the County boss knows County have to compete at the same level. He said: "I understand there is a lot of pressure on me and everyone else at the club to do well because the club has got big ideas. It has got a plan that hopefully in the next five years we can push up too the First Division. "Alloa have got the points in the bag just now, but we will give it a big push in the next couple of weeks and see how we get on. There is 100% commitment from everyone at the club." At the start of the season many thought County would win the title at a canter but try telling that to Arbroath, who still have thoughts of promotion and who felt slightly aggrieved to collect only one point. With top scorer Derek Adams dropped to the bench and striker Garry Wood out of the team, Cooper opted for the odd striking combination of teenager Connor Campbell and defender Mark Haro. However, the driving rain and wind dictated a farcical game, with Arbroath adapting quickest. They took the lead in 11 minutes through a John Gallagher penalty after Brian Grant was upended in the box by burly defender Billy Herd. On-loan St Johnstone striker Charlie King has been a welcome addition to County's squad and struck home the equaliser from eight yards in 31 minutes but after that little else was created. Arbroath manager David Baike said: "It's getting harder and harder to catch Alloa but we are now getting our form and confidence back." |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Joseph (Nicky) Walker, 2: Mark Haro, 3: Stuart Golabek, 4: William Furphy 1, 5: William (Billy) Herd 1, 6: David MacKay, 7: Kenneth Gilbert, 8: Gerard Farrell, 9: Franck Escalon, 10: Charles King 1, 11: Connor Campbell |
| Bench | 0: Alexander Taylor, 0: Derek Adams, 0: Jamie MacPherson |
| Arbroath | |
| Manager | Dave Baikie |
| Starting 11 | Craig Wight, Brian Mitchell, Richard Thomson, Steve Florence, Dougie Scott, Scott Peters, John Gallagher 1 (1 pen), Craig Cooper, Neil Thomson, Mark McWalter, Brian Grant |
| Bench | John McAulay, Kevin Burns, Billy Spence |