Date	Saturday, 09 August 1930
Competition	Highland League
Fixture/Score	Ross County 2:4 Inverness Citadel
Venue	Victoria Park
Referee
Ross County
Manager	Johnny Hart
Starting 11	1: Peter Brett, 2: Paulo Grant, 3: ??? Montgomery, 4: Dick Traill, 5: J Morrison, 6: Ackie Urquhart, 7: Ian Aird 2, 8: Charlie Cameron, 9: Johnny Hart, 10: ? Chisholm, 11: A Kerr
Bench
Attendance
Match Report	Report from the Ross-shire Journal. Ross County 2 Inverness Citadel 4 Ross County went down to Citadel, Inverness, in their opening match of the Highland League by four goals to two. Thus, history repeated itself. In the first League game at Fraserburgh last year, the result was Fraserburgh 2 goals, Ross County 1. A big crowd, a hot evening, and a somewhat heavy pitch were the accompaniments to a game in which Citadel was the better combination, even if there was little to choose individually in the composition of the teams. Citadel was nippier in its movements; it was well-led. Jock Mackenzie, a veteran of twenty years of football experience, despite the handicap that comes with years, played well and led brilliantly. A score of times he issued orders, all of them directed towards positional play. He kept the centre of the field himself, emerging with rare sagacity, now defending, now directing home an attack. It was the veteran's game. His own foot and head were seldom out of it, with now a cute and correct flick and then a hefty, well-placed kick. His youngsters were worthy of a great master. Take the old leader out of it, and it would have gone badly with the bright first-time football which his leadership inspired. His opposite for Ross County, both younger and fitter, Hart, of St Johnstone, the new player-coach of Ross County, was under serious disadvantage. He knew the capabilities of not a single member of the team he was chosen to lead, and his players knew him as ill. He had no knowledge of the Citadel, or of the type of play he was required to face. In such circumstances, in fairness to Hart and to Ross County, in this first game he ought to have been privileged to look on. From the line, he could have seen and measured his men; and tumbled to the manner and method of the style of movement and play that brought the North of Scotland Cup to Ross County last season. Hart, however, is all right. Of medium height and build, he looks much younger than his years; moves smoothly, has excellent ball control and palpably is choke-full of field experience. Ross County require leading out, and Hart in a second match will probably be found acting more as a sixth forward than a third back. Ross County defence is sound. Rarely does it need close-in assistance. The forwards, on the other hand, play best when helped in their own task of getting goals, as the last moments of Saturday’s game showed when they walked home two goals in quick succession. Starting late, a goodly crowd witnessed a none too exciting game in Victoria Park, Dingwall, when Citadel were the Ross County opposition in the first of this season’s Highland League fixtures. The first thrill came when Grant (County) sent in a foul kick from just outside the penalty line. Henderson did well to tip the ball over for a fruitless corner, but otherwise the play was scrappy. Brett was lucky to block a shot that went close to the post. The pitch had a great deal to do with the scrappy play, but Citadel gradually took command and were by far the more aggressive. Montgomery, the Dornie school teacher, although occasionally showing lack of practice, distributed well, as also did Grant. Ross forwards could not get going, Jock Mackenzie, the veteran of many hard encounters, tying them up successfully. Hereabouts, Trail was the County's outstanding man, with a decided weakness showing in both outside positions. Of the two, Marrison got more of the ball, but could not improve on his chances. Cummings (Citadel) should have scored from a Logie pass, but he shot wildly over, and again Urquhart and Brett were lucky to clear from Logie when all seemed lost. Mackenzie and Logie were an excellent Citadel wing, and it was from this source that Ross County’s worries came, and from them the Citadel got a first goal. Logie crossed to Cummings, whose header gave Brett no chance, although the latter made a desperate dive to divert the ball. This point was well-earned by Citadel, who were playing by far the better football as a team. No more scoring took place in this half. On the resumption, Citadel took a firmer grip of the game and should have scored through Whyte when five minutes had barely gone. With only Brett before him, Whyte missed what seemed a certainty, but perhaps the spring Brett made at his feet put him off. The County backs were playing a great game, and it was due to their fine kicking and tackling that the score was being kept down. Aird, at centre forward, was being poorly served, not one decent ball coming his way. Cummings added another goal for his side. His first shot rebounded off the crossbar, and, catching the rebound, he neatly side-stepped Urquhart, and shot hard and true into the corner of the net, giving Brett not the ghost of a chance to prevent the ball entering the net. Five minutes later, Cummings completed his hat trick, scoring off a corner kick by Whyte. The County woke up and Aird had Henderson beaten all the way with a header but the ball skimmed past the outside of the post, and again, from a fine piece of work by Cameron, Aird made a desperate attempt to head in a fast cross ball, but the speed of the ball beat him. It was hard luck. County kept pressing, and should have registered through Aird when the centre from close in shot weakly past. Away Citadel went, and Cummings registered his and his side’s fourth goal. Brett was to be sympathised with, as the ball struck one of his backs when he was well placed to receive it. The Citadel were now all over the County, and found time to “play to the gallery,” which incidentally was their undoing. Henderson, in fielding a high ball, pulled it over his own goal line, and less than five minutes later Aird scored a well-earned goal. This ended the scoring and the game. Brett's performance in goal was outstanding, while of the backs, Urquhart was the better but both played a capital game. As already stated, Hart could not understand his men, and especially the play of his inside forwards. Trail was the man who counted in the half line. Aird had to play a lone hand and did not get any help either from the outside men nor the half line. Grant was as clever as ever, but got too much defensive work to do. Montgomery, the Dornie teacher, and a former Varsity player, has grit, go and craft, and the Citadel are lucky to get him. All in all, Ross County has a team of wonderful talent and a fine set of sportsmen.