Date	Saturday, 23 December 1933
Competition	Highland League
Fixture/Score	Inverness Citadel 3:10 Ross County
Venue	Shore Street Park, Inverness
Referee
Ross County
Manager	The Management Committee
Starting 11	1: J MacKay, 2: Alexander (Ackie) MacPherson, 3: Thomas Anderson, 4: Roddie Garrow, 5: Albert MacRae, 6: Ackie Urquhart, 7: Ackie MacKay 2, 8: William Skinner 2, 9: William MacKenzie 2, 10: James (Mollie) Ross 2, 11: William Bowie 2
Bench
Attendance
Match Report	Report from the North Star. Inverness Citadel 3 Ross County 10 To the County, Shore Street Park has never been a happy hunting ground, but last Saturday afternoon the Ross men hit one of those bewildering displays which have been so characteristic of their appearances this season. The Ross representatives opened in a fashion that did not promise that they would develop into a combination that ultimately could do as they pleased. For the first fifteen minutes they laboured in a state that made them appear as if they were out of gear. Misunderstanding among the forwards made it easy for the Citadel defence to hold their fort, while the visiting halves were pressed back to preserve their goal from falling before home forwards who had many opportunities to open the score. It was well, at this critical period, that the County backs stood firmly with their backs to the wall, while, it must be said, their task was considerably eased by the home forwards' ineffectiveness at goalmouth—particularly Glass. Repeatedly Arthur Mackenzie worked his way through the Ross defence, but unresponsive clubmates threw away his brilliant openings by reckless and featureless finish. The advent of Mackenzie into the visitors’ centre soon paid its way, for this forward fastened on to a loose ball and, racing between the backs, slipped the ball past the approaching custodian into the tenantless goal. A smart piece of dribbling on the right by Mackay saw Ross head into the net the outside right’s delightfully placed cross. By no means inferior in play, although now two goals down, the “Maroons” fought back gallantly, but their wiles could not elude a defence that was on top form. However, when least expected, the homesters, close on the interval, got their first point, for a misunderstanding allowed Paterson to tap the ball into the net. The changeover was sensational, for it brought no less than ten goals. The prelude to the County’s great advance had its origin in a fine piece of solo work by Mackenzie. Receiving the ball from the right wing, close to the penalty area, he cutely and coolly dribbled past the home defence and then calmly tapped the leather into the net. This saw the Ross men strike a delightful patch of combined and telling play. The inside forwards plied the ball to the wingmen with such accuracy that Mackay and Bowie found it comparatively easy to crown their speedy flashes down the side lines by netting. When the score stood 5-1, the “Maroons” showed signs of revival, with Arthur Mackenzie reducing the leeway from a foul kick. But this was not to be, for the Ross men came away in hurricane mood. Mackay, on the right, could not be held. Down the wing he romped and raced, to flash across into the centre passes that found lodgement in the net. First Skinner ran in and met the ball as it came over, to bang it into the “rigging.” Then Bowie took up perfect position to simply touch another past the goalkeeper. A spectacular point was then scored by Mackay himself, after a solo run through Citadel’s defence. The ninth was Skinner’s, when he sent into a tenantless goal, for both the Citadel custodian and County’s Mackenzie fell injured in a tackle. An easing off saw the “Maroons” being awarded a penalty kick, from which Paterson scored. But Bowie came in to seal his club’s tenth. In the history of this park, Citadel have not been previously defeated by such an overwhelming score. They certainly had reason to feel that they were unfortunate in the first period, but in the later stage the County forwards’ irresistible form simply swamped their defence. To the Ross rear is due praise for the fine defensive tactics they set up, and for the way in which they backed up their attack, which has now returned to true form.