Date	Saturday, 12 September 2015
Competition	Scottish Premiership
Fixture/Score	Motherwell 1:1 Ross County
Venue	Fir Park
Attendance	3,545
Referee	Don Robertson
Comments	Match Report Report by Richard Wilson for the BBC. Motherwell 1 Ross County 1 Motherwell needed a last-gasp strike to rescue a point against an impressive Ross County side in the Scottish Premiership. The visitors led through Michael Gardyne's first-half goal and were impressive throughout. Motherwell looked sharper after Theo Robinson and Marvin Johnson came off the bench. The latter created the equaliser for Louis Moult, as the home side's urgency eventually paid off. County had to rely on their endeavour at first. Motherwell were intent on establishing their authority early on, and the visitors worked hard to make their own mark on the game. That started with a period of strong defending, since they prevented Motherwell breaking beyond the back line. Moult struck twice from long range - volleying wide then drawing a good save from Scott Fox - but that was the closest they could come to troubling the Ross County goalkeeper. County took hold of the game in midfield, with the central pairing of Jackson Irvine and Rocco Quinn delivering plenty of industry and hard running. The entire side was driven on by the sharp-edge instructions hollered from the touchline by manager Jim McIntyre. He was a hard taskmaster but the reward came when Jamie Reckord swung a free-kick into the penalty area. The Motherwell defenders failed to clear and, as the ball bobbled around the box, Gardyne pounced to steer a shot past home goalkeeper Connor Ripley. Creativity was a rare commodity and the second half was characterised by sweat and toil, yet little penetration. Irvine asked a question of Ripley with a shot struck on the half-volley from 25 yards, but the goalkeeper saved. As Motherwell desperately sought an equaliser, substitutes Johnson and Robinson became prominent. The former sliced an effort into the side netting, while the latter spun and shot from the edge of the box, Fox saving both times. Motherwell gradually became more assertive as County tried to see the game out. The hosts' leveller came after captain Keith Lasley sent Johnson scampering down the left. The winger was composed enough to deliver across the face of the goal for Moult to convert from close range. Relief at the end for Motherwell and frustration for Ross County. Ian Baraclough believes his Motherwell side's late equaliser against Ross County was a reward for their patience and character. The visitors led through Michael Gardyne's strike but Motherwell did not resort to lumping long balls forward. Louis Moult's late leveller came after a period of measured possession and good work from Marvin Johnson. "I felt [the goal was coming], we were always trying to press," Baraclough said. "We had patience. We didn't give in, we tried different ways of going and went to a back three. The boys stuck at it. "There was frustration all over that we hadn't produced what we could have done. It could have been easy to pack in but that's not what that dressing room is about. "There's character in there, people who want to win. We kept going and got our rewards from it. "It was never going to be a pretty game, Ross County scrap for everything. We could have been better [with the ball] but they don't allow you to do that." Baraclough praised Johnson and Theo Robinson for coming off the bench and influencing the game. "The [substitutes] have to make an impact," he said. "With the starting XI it doesn't always happen the way you want. That's where you look for your impact players to come on and they did that." Ross County boss Jim McIntyre felt his side had done enough to win the game and was frustrated the Highlanders did not add to their lead in the second half. County had won their previous three games, though, and McIntyre praised his players for their general level of performance this season. "In the second half we were the better, more dominant side and created opportunities to get that second goal," McIntyre explained. "Unfortunately, we couldn't take the chance and it came back to bite us. "We were still hurting Motherwell on the counter attack. You've got to credit the opposition, they're going to have a period in the game when they put you under pressure, they're the home side. "I thought we were coping with it and I didn't see them scoring, but we switched off at a thrown-in and got done. "But I'm delighted with what the players gave us, they're doing a lot of things really well. We just had to take that chance for the second goal and if we'd done that it would have been game over. "We'll lick our wounds because we felt it's two points dropped and we go again."
Ross County
Manager	Jim McIntyre
Starting 11	1: Scott Fox, 2: Marcus Fraser, 3: Jamie Reckord 1, 4: Rocco Quinn, 6: Christopher Robertson, 7: Michael Gardyne 1, 10: Liam Boyce, 15: Andrew Davies, 17: Jonathan Franks, 24: Raffaele De Vita, 36: Jackson Irvine
Bench	21: Gary Woods, 5: Scott Boyd, 8: Ian McShane, 9: Brian Graham, 12: Richard Foster 1, 19: Tony Dingwall, 42: Martin Woods
Motherwell
Manager	Ian Baraclough
Starting 11	Connor Ripley, Steven Hammell, Louis Laing, Stephen McManus, Josh Law, Lionel Ainsworth, Keith Lasley, Dom Thomas, Jake Taylor, Louis Moult 1, Scott McDonald
Bench	Liam Grimshaw, Marvin Johnson, Dan Twardzik, Joe Chalmers, Kieran Kennedy, Theo Robinson, David Clarkson