| Date | Saturday, 02 August 2003 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Cowdenbeath 1:2 Ross County |
| Venue | Central Park |
| Attendance | 325 |
| Referee | Brian Cassidy |
| Comments | Match Report Report from the Press & Journal. Cowdenbeath 1 Ross County 2 Alex Smith was pleased and relieved as his Ross County side finally overcame Third Division Cowdenbeath to knock the Fifers out of the Bell's Challenge Cup for the third in a row. County have met Cowdenbeath away from home in the first round of this cup competition for the past two years and on each occasion they have had their work cut out to win through to the second round. After extra time victories in 2001 and 2002, County again left it late on Saturday with their winning goal from John Rankin not coming until the 80th minute. Smith praised the performance of his opponents, who were relegated to the Third Division at the end of last season. He said: "We found ourselves up against a determined side and clear-cut chances were hard to find. "Cowdenbeath gave us very little room and it took a good goal to clinch the tie. "I am just pleased to be in the next round." Cowdenbeath's manager Keith Wright, while disappointed with the result, took heart from his players' performance. He said: "We were playing against a full-time side and I felt we acquitted ourselves well, which augurs well for the opening of the league season next week." Cowdenbeath got off to the best possible start with a well-taken goal from Graeme Brown in the 14th minute. Davit Mowat opened the County defence with a good run before passing to Brown, who eluded his marker before sending a curling shot from 16 yards into the net. County drew level eight minutes later thanks to a Cowdenbeath own goal. Hugh Robertson--Ross County's best player--made his way to the bye line before crossing into the box. Cowdenbeath's Andy Campbell had the misfortune to deflect the ball into his own net. There was little to chose between the two sides in the second half and, with the minutes ticking away, it looked as if this cup tie was destined for extra time for the third successive year. But then, with just 10 minutes remaining, up popped John Rankin with a flash of skill which proved decisive. He went past two defenders on the edge of the box before sending a well-placed shot into the net to secure a hard-fought win for the Dingwall men. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Alexander (Alex) Smith |
| Starting 11 | 1: Colin Stewart, 2: Jordon Tait, 3: Hugh Robertson, 4: Stuart Malcolm, 5: Steven MacKay, 6: David Hannah, 7: Jamie McCunnie 1, 8: John Rankin 1, 9: Mark McCulloch, 10: David Winters, 11: Sean Higgins |
| Bench | 0: Leslie Fridge, 0: Don (JNR) Cowie, 0: Stephen O'Donnell, 0: Graham Bayne, 0: Conor Gethins |
| Cowdenbeath | |
| Manager | Keith Wright |
| Starting 11 | Andy Carlin, Calvin Shand, Andrew Campbell 1, John McKeown, David McInally, Kevin Gordon, Ian Morris, Craig Winter, David Mowat, Graeme Brown 1, John Fallon |
| Bench | Bryan Gilfillan, Ross Matheson, Stephen Boyle, Liam Buchanan, Allan Fleming |