Date	Saturday, 14 May 2022
Competition	Scottish Premiership
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:2 Dundee United
Venue	Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park
Attendance	5,165
Referee	Nick Walsh
Comments	Match Report Report by Andrew Petrie for the BBC. Ross County 1 Dundee United 2 Dundee United secured fourth place in the Scottish Premiership - and sparked a pitch invasion from their fans - after Nicky Clark's dramatic late winner against Ross County. Blair Spittal's screamer had given County the lead but the advantage did not last long, with Clark scoring from the spot a few minutes later. A draw was all United needed to leapfrog Motherwell, but Clark's 89th-minute tap in sparked scenes of bedlam in the away end to give United their highest league finish since 2014. Finishing fourth means Tam Courts' side secure another £500,000 in prize money and entry to the Europa Conference League qualification at the third round. It was a much-changed County side, which Malky Mackay insisted was enforced. Adam MacKinnon made his debut start, Declan Drysdale his first since January and Ben Paton his first since October. Kick-off was delayed by five minutes as United's boisterous support got their European party started. Tangerine flares and white streamers rained down on to the pitch around goalkeeper Benji Siegrist, in what may well be his final United appearance. As the goals flurried in from the other two top-six games, this one took a while longer to warm up. However, Blair Spittal fired a few warning shots at the United goal - a sign of what was to come. Archie Meekison, impressive in United's midfield, came closest to opening the scoring, though. Scampering on to a Tony Watt through ball, he only had to beat goalkeeper Ross Munro - making his Premiership debut - but smacked off a post. The visitors could have taken the lead moments into the second-half, too. Dylan Levitt, who's been in fine goal-scoring form, found himself completely unmarked in the area but managed to skew wide from eight yards out. County looked to make United pay for their profligacy. A cleared cross was worked to Spittal, who took aim and found the top corner from outside the area. That gave United the jolt they needed. Harry Paton tripped Ilmari Niskanen in the box and Clark slotted home from the spot to restore parity and put United back into fourth as it stood. It was one-way traffic after that, with United looking for a winner. They found it in the 89th minute to spark chaos in Dingwall. Kieran Freeman was picked out on the right by Tony Watt, and his cut-back found Clark to slide in from close range - repeating his game-winning double against County that he also managed in January at Tannadice. A sea of Tangerine support shimmered and swayed throughout the match. They really played the part of the 12th man - sometimes getting too close to the action - and buoyed their side to finding a winner. United haven't always been great to watch this season, but Courts' achievement of claiming fourth in his first season in top-flight management should be lauded. It's a young squad at Tannadice, and he has every reason to be encouraged about where this group could go - should he remain there next season. As for County, they have discovered that football is a cruel game. Rising from the ashes, they've burnt out a little too early and finished with one point from their last five games. Again, they should take great belief from the majority of this season. If they are able to hold on to Mackay and the bulk of their squad, they can have a fair crack at the top six again next season. Ross County manager Malky Mackay: "In the second-half, I thought 'I'm going to put some kids on and really go for it'. Overall, I'm very happy with the players in terms of their application. "It has been a journey. I'm delighted that everyone has pulled together to put us where we are. I'm very proud of the players and staff at the football club, to be one of the top six clubs in this country." Dundee United manager Tam Courts: "I was frustrated at half-time but these players have shown on multiple occasions that they won't be deterred. They bounced back and showed a lot of character and quality. "They were roared on by a huge Dundee United following. It was a really special moment when they got the winner."
Ross County
Manager	Malcolm (Malky) Mackay
Starting 11	21: Ross Munro, 2: Connor Randall, 3: Jake Vokins, 5: Jack Baldwin 1, 7: Blair Spittal 1, 17: Regan Charles-Cook, 20: Declan Drysdale, 23: Joseph Hungbo, 24: Benjamin Paton, 26: Jordan White, 32: Adam Mackinnon
Bench	1: Ross Laidlaw, 6: Harrison Paton, 10: Dominic Samuel, 11: Joshua Sims, 18: Jack Burroughs, 19: Kayne Ramsay, 22: Jordon Tillson, 30: Matthew Wright, 34: Ryan MacLeman
Dundee United
Manager	Thomas Courts
Starting 11	Benjamin Siegrist, Liam Smith, Ryan Edwards, Ross Graham, Charlie Mulgrew, Archie Meekison, Dylan Levitt, Kieran Freeman, Scott McMann, Nicky Clark 2 (1 pen), Tony Watt
Bench	Adrián Sporle, Kevin McDonald, Ilmari Niskanen, Carljohan Eriksson, Lewis Neilson, Chris Mochrie, Miller Thomson, Mathew Anim