| Date | Tuesday, 22 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Ross County 8:0 Edinburgh City |
| Venue | Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park |
| Attendance | 1,265 |
| Referee | Sean Murdoch |
| Comments | Match Report Report from Ross-shire Journal 22/7/2025 By Andrew Henderson Ross County manager Don Cowie dishes out praise for a number of Staggies stars after eight-goal demolition of Edinburgh City. Ross County manger Don Cowie was full of praise for a number of his stars after they decimated Edinburgh City 8-0 in the League Cup group stage. Ronan Hale led the way for the Staggies with a hat-trick, with Jay Henderson and 16-year-old debutant Joe Coyle each bagging a brace and Kieran Phillips also getting in on the act. Another teenager, Copeland Thain, also came on for his senior debut after wearing the captain’s armband at times for the under-18 County side that experienced plenty of cup success last season and claimed an assist, while Cowie reserved special praise for Declan Gallagher at the back for leading the defence to a clean sheet. The result teed up a winner-take-all match for qualification into the second round against Partick Thistle at home on Sunday, and the Dingwall outfit could not have asked for any more momentum to take into the crunch cup tie. "We know it is still early in the season, and we are still getting to know one another as a group, but these were encouraging signs tonight,” Cowie explained. "Getting the first goal lifted any weight. It should have come earlier when Nicky Clark had a great chance in the second minute, and these are big moments that can change any game. "We stuck at it and got the goal with a real moment of quality from Ronan Hale for that first goal. You could see the confidence and belief rise after that. "As the game went on, it became really rewarding with two academy graduates getting on the pitch, Copeland Thain and Joe Coyle. They made big impacts with Joe getting two goals and Copeland getting an assist. “I don’t want to forget that, despite winning 8-0 and there being a lot of good performances, I can’t get away from what Declan Gallagher is bringing to the club. “I thought he was outstanding. I know we won 8-0 and he’s a centre back, but you can see the way he controls things and drives the team forward. “Jay again had the end product with two goals, which is great for his confidence, and I’m also delighted for Kieran Phillips coming on and getting the goal, showing the qualities he brings to the squad with his pace. "It was a really good night for us, but there are still things we can improve on. The next test comes on Saturday against Partick Thistle.” |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Don Cowie |
| Starting 11 | 21: Bradley Foster, 2: Ben Crompton, 3: Len O'Sullivan, 7: Jay Henderson 2, 9: Ronan Hale 3, 14: Nicholas (Nicky) Clark, 15: Dylan Smith, 19: Arron Lyall, 22: Adam Emslie, 23: Ross Docherty, 31: Declan Gallagher |
| Bench | 1: Ross Laidlaw, 8: Dean Cornelius, 11: Kieran Phillips 1, 20: George Robesten, 26: Jordan White, 32: Copeland Thain, 33: Rio Hastings, 34: Lewis MacKay, 39: Joe Coyle 2 |
| Edinburgh City | |
| Manager | Michael McIndoe |
| Starting 11 | Mark Weir, Edin Lynch 1, Lewis McArthur, Jack Duncan 1, Quinn Mitchell, James Stokes, Jason Jarvis, Callum Brodie, Innes Lawson, Robbie Mahon, Tiwi Daramola |
| Bench | Enzo Marinovic, Dillon Thomson, Lucas Quinn, Aidan Burgess, Mamish Campbell |