| Date | Saturday, 13 March 2010 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Hibernian 2:2 Ross County |
| Venue | Easter Road |
| Attendance | 9,857 |
| Referee | Brian Winter |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Colin Moffat For the BBC. Scottish Cup Quarter Final Hibernian 2 Ross County 2 Hibernian can count themselves fortunate to still be in the Scottish Cup after Ross County fought back twice to earn a draw at Easter Road. Colin Nish headed the hosts in front from close range early on before a ricochet off Hibs defender Ian Murray flew into his own net. Derek Riordan smashed Hibs back in front before the interval. However, County dominated the second period and Michael Gardyne drilled in a deserved second for the visitors. The teams will meet again at Victoria Park on 23 March and Hibs will have to up their game for the trip to Dingwall if they have serious designs on ending their 108-year wait for Scottish Cup success. The side with European ambitions shaded a lively first half but simply could not live with the Highlanders' drive and determination after the break. The visitors began brightly as they enjoyed an impressive period of possession before winning a corner after two minutes. Skipper Richard Brittain's delivery found Alex Keddie eight yards out but the defender's free header flew straight at home goalkeeper Graham Stack. After six minutes the opening goal arrived, courtesy of a Hibs corner, won when Paul Hanlon's header was blocked. Goalkeeper Michael McGovern went chasing after the loose ball but found his path blocked by Nish, who was later on hand to divert Chris Hogg's shot into the net with his head. McGovern made amends for his rash walkabout with two good saves to stop fierce strikes from Riordan. On 15 minutes the scores were level when Martin Scott's long ball over the top caught the home rearguard flat-footed and when Stack raced out to block Gardyne's shot the rebound hit back-tracking Murray on the chest and carried into the net. However, Hibs responded almost immediately, with Riordan getting the break of the ball from John Rankin's low pass into his feet before smashing a shot past McGovern from 16 yards. County continued to cause Hibs problems and, five minutes before the interval, Iain Vigurs shot wide with the goal gaping after the home side made a mess of clearing a header from Andrew Barrowman A rip-roaring first half ended with Rankin sending a 25-yard free-kick inches wide and a Riordan free-kick being charged down by the arms of two defenders in the County defensive wall, without referee Brian Winter noticing. The second half continued at a whirlwind pace as Ross County right-back Gary Miller slid in to prevent Nish getting a clear view of goal near the penalty spot, while Vigurs saw his low, angled shot well saved by Stack, amid a flurry of attacks from the Dingwall side. Hibs were being pushed back for long spells by the robust visitors but were always a threat on the break. Nish latched on to a long pass from Riordan but his lob from the edge of the penalty area was just too heavy and brushed the roof of the net on its way over. County's tenacious pressing and probing paid off with 10 minutes remaining when Gardyne was left alone to gather a high ball in the penalty box and drilled in a splendid first-time effort into the far corner of the net. A Vigurs header was easily gathered by Stack, while Gardyne skewed a shot on the turn wide from close range, with the Hibs defence all over the place. Hanlon, who had been the one calm head in the home rearguard, then made a slip and Hibs survived an incredible melee inside the penalty box, which saw Murray make a marvellous goal-line clearance and a great block from Stack. The frustrated home crowd greeted the final whistle with angry jeers, while the 1600 visiting fans were delighted and already looking forward to the replay. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Derek Adams |
| Starting 11 | 1: Michael McGovern, 2: Scott Morrison, 3: Alexander Keddie, 4: Gary Miller, 5: Scott Boyd, 6: Martin Scott, 7: Richard Brittain 1, 8: Paul Lawson 1, 9: Iain Vigurs, 10: Andrew Barrowman, 11: Michael Gardyne 1 |
| Bench | 0: Joseph Malin, 0: Stuart Kettlewell, 0: Garry Wood, 0: Steven Craig, 0: Paul Di Giacomo |
| Hibernian | |
| Manager | John Hughes |
| Starting 11 | Graham Stack, Ian Murray 1, Chris Hogg, Paul Hanlon, David Wotherspoon, Kevin McBride, Liam Miller, John Rankin, Anthony Stokes, Colin John Nish 1, Derek Riordan 1 1 |
| Bench | Graeme Smith, Steven Thicot, Patrick Cregg, Danny Galbraith, Abdessalam Benjelloun |