Date	Wednesday, 26 August 1936
Competition	Inverness Cup
Fixture/Score	Caledonian FC 0:2 Ross County
Venue	Telford Street
Referee	W. Sutherland
Ross County
Manager	The Management Committee
Starting 11	1: R MacNeil, 2: Willie (Wicky) Spence, 3: J Stewart, 4: J.G MacKay, 5: Robert Corbett 1, 6: J.A Ross, 7: J.A MacKay, 8: E Gillies 1, 9: W.W MacKenzie, 10: D Bowie, 11: D. Ross
Bench
Attendance
Match Report	Report from the North Star. Caledonian FC 0 Ross County 2 The most thrilling tussle seen in Inverness since two years fittingly describes the second match of the Inverness Cup, which took place at Telford Street Park, Inverness, on Wednesday evening. This exciting game, which the County deservedly won by two clear goals, was fought out on typical cup-tie lines, the pace being extremely fast while the football was of a very pleasing standard. With both teams keyed up to a high pitch of eagerness, the respective custodians had a busy time but it can be said they both distinguished themselves by bringing off marvellous saves. The hero of the game was Macneil, the County keeper, and his display between the sticks was so outstanding that many Inverness football officials were disappointed that they had not fixed up, before the County stepped in, the services of such a brilliant player. In giving the greatest praise to Macneil, one does not belittle the extraordinary fine play of the other members of the team. Everyone justified his selection and it is a pleasure to note that they rose to the occasion by exceeding expectations. Few fancied they would win, but to record a more substantial score, of say 6 goals to 2, would have been no idle boast of their superiority. It was a performance that must have given great satisfaction to the management and supporters alike. Now that the young County side has had the desired tonic—a worthy win—their future is full of much brighter hope. A last minute choice, Spence, a product of Dingwall, was another player who caught the eye. From the start to the finish he played as if he was an experienced senior and not a junior, but the brightest feature of his sound defensive tactics and perfect kicking, was the excellent partnership he formed with his club-mate Stewart. They were a sterling defence, being complete masters over the Caledonian attack, which had some promising young players, particularly Smart, the youthful leader. No half afield equalled the County right half. His defensive movements were flawless and his passes to his forwards perfect. His old clubmates saw him at his best, and the Caledonian officials must have felt that they released one of the league's most promising halves. Despite a bad foot injury, Corbett was sound and his goal was a just reward for his fine work. Ross, left half, was impressive and that the left wing D. Ross and D. Bowie, showed an appreciable improvement was due to his clever promptings. Returning to his old berth, outside right, J. A. Mackay added power and punch to the attack and with Gillies he hit a fine combination. Although Mackenzie did not figure among the goals, his rushing tactics proved a source of worry to the home defenders, who had repeatedly to rush into the centre to check the bustling Ross leader. He had two good inside forwards in Gillies and D. Bowie. The first half produced no goals as both keepers brought off many clever saves. At various times, the keenness of the play kept the spectators spell-bound, the ball being at one end of the field and then at the other. Each team strove hard to take the lead but neither could penetrate the respective defences. Thus, a first half, that was full of missed chances, owing to over eagerness and narrow escapes ended goal-less. The resumption produced the flourishes, an early goal by Gillies, who scored with a spectacular first-time drive, adding the required spirit. From this point to the end, there was not one dull moment. At the visiting end Macneil would save the situation by a masterly clearance, while at the other end Mackenzie frustrated the County with an equally praiseworthy effort. A beautifully placed corner kick by Mackay, led to the County going further ahead, Corbett heading the ball into the net. Desperately the homesters tried to break down the visitors' defence but even the wiles of Smart, the clever home centre, could find no loophole in it. When he eluded the backs Macneil stood firmly between him and success. Every Caledonian drive proved unfruitful against defenders who were determined to hold, and succeeded in holding, a lead that entitled them to pass into the second round, the County aggregate of the two matches being three goals to the Caledonian's two. Despite the great struggle for supremacy, the game was wonderfully clean and the closing semi-darkness made the final minutes intensely exciting, especially when Logie crashed a terrific drive against the cross-bar.