Date	Saturday, 07 September 1996
Competition	Scottish League Division 3
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:2 Alloa Athletic
Venue	Victoria Park
Attendance	1,193
Referee	Sandy Roy
Comments	Match report Report by Gordon Simpson for the Daily Record. Ross County 1 Alloa Athletic 2 Small communities are often the source of jucy tittle-tattle. Dingwall is no exception. The latest snippet from the rumour factory flying around this touristy Highland town concerned Bobby Wilson, until May the manager of Ross County. It soon became a historical fact that Wilson, incensed by County's awful display against Queen's Park two weeks ago, barged into the dressing room at Victoria Park and slated his former players. But Wilson, who is only now slowly adjusting to life as an ex-football manager, laughed: "Good story but absolutely not a grain of truth in it. "The story spread round Dingwall like wild fire but it was just idle gossip. "Mind you, it wouldn't have been such a bad idea...". You can appreciate Wilson's frustration. Four months ago he was in charge of a thriving outfit challenging for promotion. Now, as a new season gets into full swing, he's only starting to regain his health after suffering from a stress-induced complaint. He's resumed his original career as a joiner and tiler but still can't drag himself away from his beloved Victoria Park. And after six games and six defeats for the new regime, under former Aberdeen star Neale Cooper, Wilson's disappointment is as keen as any County fan. Before every home game, Bobby meets up with Hector MacLennan, who resigned as chairman just before the axe fell on Wilson. The pair find a quiet space on the away terracing, lean on the advertising hoardings, and watch proceedings from there. On Saturday, the duo became a trio as Bobby's injured son Barry joined the 'doomwatch'. Poor Cooper. Probably every time he checked along his back line in the second half he would have seen his predecessor lurking just beyond left back! Wilson holds no grudge against the new boss--only the board-room regime which ousted him with barely a shred of dignity. Wilson insisted: "Let me make it clear that I don't go there to mock or gloat. Neale's a decent young lad who deserves the backing of the public. "It's just that I love the game too much to stay at home on a Saturday. One week I'll go to watch my lad Barry play for Caley thistle and the next I'll be at Victoria Park. "If I'm an embarrassment to anyone, then that's too bad, you can't just wipe out years of your life at a stroke. "My wife Jessie hasn't been back, though. She was a terrific loyal worker behind the scenes for nine years but she will only go to Inverness to see Barry." It's been a tough time for 53-year-old Wilson as his health has suffered. He admitted: "I know the inside of Raigmore Hospital better than my own living room. "Just a few days after I was sacked, my entire body came out in a terrible rash. "The specialists say it was stress related and they still haven't got to the root of the problem. Next week I go back to get 24 patches on my back so that they can see what I might be allergic to. "I also spent a few days at Raigmore earlier in the week for an unpleasant but minor operation. Hopefully, though, I'm getting back to normal." One thing's for certain--things Aren't quite normal in tranquil little Dingwall. As Wilson entered the bar in the Royal Hotel on Saturday, he was assailed by a local before even ordering his first orange juice. "When are you coming back, eh?" inquired the worthy, barely taking his eyes of his lager. It was the same on the walk to Victoria Park. fans pumping Wilson's hand like a returning Messiah. He conceded: "It was weird the first time. I nearly missed the kick-off because of people stopping me but I'm getting used to going now just to watch. "I've just received my settlement from County and I'm working part-time as a tiler again. "I feel I'm too old now to pull a team up from the basement like I did with County. "My record shows just 13 defeats from 72 league games in senior football. I'm happy to let that statistic do the talking for me." There's the rub. Wilson's record is outstanding and it makes his departure harder for County fans to swallow. Cooper's record may, one day, be every bit as impressive but it's clear that he still senses the presence of Wilson in the corridors of Victoria Park. Unfortunately for him, he can't exorcise the ghost of the past. Every second week, Bobby's spectre-like presence is there in the background. The ex-Pittodrie favourite admitted: "Maybe it would have been better if Bobby lived further away. "But this is his home and he's entitled to watch the team. I can live with that. I don't know him too well but when we met he wished me all the best." Cooper is a smashing bloke who deserves to succeed but the rapid turnaround of staff has meant a gradual bedding-in period. He added: "As Alex Ferguson told me, there's no apprenticeship in management. You've got to take the knocks straight away and I'm learning every week. "Right now, I'd happily scramble a win--any win--and enjoy a Saturday night for a change." Alloa looked stronger, sharper and more inventive--and that's despite a tough midweek clash with Celtic. Headers near the start and the finish from Peter Dwyer settled the issue, with County new boy Sandy Ross netting just after the break. Alloa gaffer Tom Hendrie said afterwards: "I don't know where they found the energy from. they dug deep and I thought it was a good, solid display." By then Bobby Wilson was off to the barbecue at the home of a former director. And no...he definitely didn't stop off at the dressing room along the way!
Ross County
Manager	Neale Cooper
Starting 11	1: Stephen Hutchison, 2: Stuart Golabek, 3: William (Billy) Herd, 4: David MacKay, 5: Johnston Bellshaw, 6: Julian Broddle, 7: Kevin Fotheringham, 8: Neale Cooper 1, 9: Keith (Billy) Ferries, 10: Alexander (Sandy) Ross 1, 11: Andrew (Andy) MacLeod
Bench	0: Robert (Robbie) Williamson, 0: Gordon Connelly, 0: Derek Adams
Alloa Athletic
Manager	Tommy Hendrie
Starting 11	Balfour, Craig Valentine, Paul McAnenay, John McCormack, Mark Cowan, McAvoy, Kevin Kane, Stuart McKay, Peter Dwyer 2, William Irvine, Mark Nelson 1
Bench	Barrie Moffat, James Gilmour, Michael McAnenay