Date	Saturday, 05 March 1949
Competition	Highland League
Fixture/Score	Caledonian FC 5:2 Ross County
Venue	Telford Street
Referee
Ross County
Manager	The Management Committee
Starting 11	1: Fred Newton, 2: Jimmy Farmer, 3: Jock Finlay, 4: James MacDonald, 5: Finlay Browning, 6: George Sutherland, 7: Tommy Urquhart, 8: Jocky (SNR) Clark, 9: John Patience 1, 10: Charles (Chic) Ogilvie 1, 11: John (Johnny) Bremner
Bench
Attendance
Match Report	Report from the Ross-shire Journal. Caledonian FC 5 Ross County 2 This game was of vital importance to the Inverness side in their efforts to overtake Peterhead in the championship race, but Ross County went on the field full of confidence that they could put a spoke in the wheel and repeat their first game of the season victory over the Qualifying Cup winners. Patience won the toss and Caley immediately went on the attack down the left, but Ernie Fraser, in trying to set Mackenzie away, put too much power into his pass and the ball trickled over the byeline. In three minutes, the County delighted their supporters. Patience put Clark through, but the inside man was too slow and Galloway cleared, only for Findlay to gain possession and put in a 40 yard lob which Mackintosh could only tip over for a corner. Bremner took the kick and the ball came out to Ogilvie, who, sidestepping Bolt, crashed an unsaveable shot into the corner of the net. This gave the visitors all the confidence they needed, and following crafty mid-field play by Ogilvie, Bremner crossed to the opposite wing for Urquhart to rush in and bring Mackintosh to his knees to save a low drive. Caley took up the attack and Mackenzie had a chance from a Galloway free, but dallied long enough for Browning to nip in and effect a clearance. Back came the ball in a movement which spread-eagled the County defence, but Fraser's shot was turned for a corner by Newton, and from the kick the same player lifted over the bar. The Inverness side's finesse was paying no dividends on the heavy pitch, whereas County's policy of first-time clearances and long passes spelled danger time and again, so that it occasioned no surprise when they increased their lead in the 28th minute. Sutherland lofted a free kick into the Caley goal area, and with Mackinnon harassing him, Patience managed to get a foot to the ball and it sailed past the goalkeeper, who had made the mistake of coming out, into the net. Next minute disaster hit the Dingwall boys when Patience suffered a knee injury in a tackle with Galloway, and had to leave the field. Caley came more into their own after this and MacBeath followed a good run with a "special," which Newton did well to divert for a corner. After 41 minutes, R. Mackintosh brought the ball down-field, drew the defence and slipped a perfect pass to Mackenzie, who calmly slid the ball away from Newton into the net. Patience resumed after the interval, but it was obvious that the only part he could play was to be of nuisance value, and after hobbling round painfully for a few minutes, he was called off the field to the sympathetic cheers of the crowd. In the first Caley attack of the half, both Findlay and Farmer were injured and the two trainers were called on to give them attention. The equaliser came after only five minutes, when Mackenzie ran through the centre and easily beat Newton. With only ten men, on a strength-sapping pitch, County were finding the pace too hot for them, and only heroics in defence by Browning, ably assisted by Farmer and Findlay, with lusty kicking, kept the eager "Blues" forwards at bay. Ogilvie was the ideal "fetch and carry" man in his attempts to set the weakened forward-line moving—assisting in defence and dragging the ball through the mud in his efforts. The constant pressure was bound to bring results and the County goal fell in the 30th minute. J. Fraser received the ball on the left hand edge of the penalty box and drove in a right foot shot which had Newton beaten all the way. Two minutes later Bolt neatly glided a MacBeath corner, with his head, past the goalkeeper. Caley continued in their attempts to increase the lead, and in 37 minutes, E. Fraser scored a simple goal when he trickled the ball over Newton's outstretched arms. An isolated raid, sponsored by Ogilvie, sent Urquhart away, and his cross found Bremner's head, but Macgillivray blocked the effort and away came the ball to the other end for Newton to tip over a shot by E. Fraser. The end came with players of both sides tired by their strenuous efforts on the sea of mud and a feeling of "if" in the air. If only Patience had not been injured, what a different tale may have been unfolded. A tribute to a full ninety minute trier came from Caley coach, Bobby Bolt, at the end of the game, when he said, "The best player on the field, including myself, was Ogilvie.