Date	Saturday, 13 January 1990
Competition	Highland League
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:3 Cove Rangers
Venue	Victoria Park
Referee
Ross County
Manager	Robert (Bobby) Wilson
Starting 11	1: Ross Cathcart, 2: Christopher (Chris) Somerville, 3: Gary Campbell, 4: Robert (Robbie) Williamson, 5: Johnston Bellshaw, 6: Scott Lemmon, 7: Barry Wilson, 8: Cameron Robertson, 9: Brian Grant 1, 10: Gordon Connelly, 11: Alex (Nero) McDonald
Bench	0: George Stewart, 0: Lee O'Brien
Attendance
Match Report	Report from the Ross-shire Journal. Ross County 1 Cove Rangers 3 ROSS COUNTY are still looking for someone who can “put the ball away”, as they say. That is someone with an accurate shot; someone who goes through a defence, rides a tackle, avoids another, and slams the ball coolly and accurately into the net. Many times this season, County have had scoring chances galore, but never have they had a player to finish off the piece. So it was on Saturday, as it was against East Fife in the Scottish Cup, where the result could have been reversed had scoring chances been taking in the first half, when there for the taking. When it comes to the coup-de-grace, however, no one seems to have the strength and determination to excercise it. The final affort is quite powder-puff in its execution: a feckless shot into the arms of the keeper, or one which gives the custodian his moment of glory as he dives in spectacular fashion to grasp the ball. Other teams when they come to Victoria Park have the power and direction to make shots at goal so easy and so grand; slickly operated moves, precision passes and confident shots. Ross County might well have been suffering the euphoria, which had spilled over from their Scottish Cup tie, and Cove Rangers might have been buoyed up with the thought of what they were going to do to former Cup hopefuls like themselves. Anyway Cove opened the game in confident mood, and took it straightaway to County, who were put under all sorts of pressure in the opening exchanges. They were not given much opportunity to settle. Within six minutes, Cove were in the lead, and it came from a chance shot, a powerful effort, from Park, twenty yards out, which was deflected off Scott Lemon and landed high up in the net to Cathcart’s left. The keeper was stranded at the other side of the goal. A simple move, a chance taken successfully, enough to knock some of the edge off the County, who were further mortified minutes later, when they had a goal disallowed. Cammie Robertson had broken through, and when it seemed as easy for him to take a snap shot at goal and score, he chose to pass to Robbie Williamson, who was up with him. Robbie put the ball in the net, but an eagle-eyed linesman had signalled off-side. This same linesman was to incur the wrath of the crowd in later incidents. That was one blow for County, the next followed in the 21st minute. Keeper Cathcart came out beyond his six-yard line to palm a shot away, but before he could scramble back to the goal-line, the ball was in Cove’s possession and was switched quickly to the opposite side of the goal, where Donald Smith was presented with the simplest of tasks putting the Aberdeenshire side two up. County stuck back determinedly and for a time had Cove on the rack, but the finishing touch was missing, and on the occasions, when a shot was on a target keeper Beckett, who is on Aberdeen’s books, brought off a good save. In one instance he turned a “drifter” from Macdonald away for a corner, and then dived bravely at the feet of Grant to effect another save. On other occasions the ball was struck straight at him. One minute after the interval, County reduced the leeway, when Robertson broke on the right, and switched the ball to the far post, where Grant quickly controlled it and slanted it past the keeper. However, eight minutes later it was status quo, as Cormack slipped a ball through to Kenneth Taylor, and he scored. Try as they could County could not break a resolute defence, with Beckett outstanding in goal. Midway though the half, the Cove winger, Donald Smith aggravated a knee injury, and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.