Ross County 1 - 0 Inverness CT

League Match
Saturday, January 3rd, 2004, 3:00 PM at Victoria Park, Dingwall
Attendance: 6,120
Referee: J Rowbotham
Ross County Inverness CT

Goalscorers
Golabek (og 83) None.

Team Managers
Unknown. John Robertson

Starting Eleven
Smith
McCunnie
Robertson
McCulloch
Webb
Lauchlan
Rankin
Hannah
Higgins
McGarry
Winters
Mark Brown
Ross Tokely
Bobby Mann
Stuart Golabek
Stuart McCaffrey
Barry Wilson
Roy McBain
Russell Duncan
Liam Keogh
David Bingham
Paul Ritchie

Bench
Bayne
Gethins
O'Donnell
Cowie
Fridge
Michael Fraser
Grant Munro
Darran Thomson
David MacRae
Craig MacMillan

Substitutions
Bayne -> Higgins (63)
Gethins -> McGarry (75)
O'Donnell -> Winters (85)
Darran Thomson for Liam Keogh (85)
Craig MacMillan for Paul Ritchie (88)
Grant Munro for Ross Tokely (89)

Bookings
None. None.

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 69 apps -
Ross Tokely 262 apps20 goals
Bobby Mann 192 apps17 goals
Stuart Golabek 146 apps3 goals
Stuart McCaffrey 128 apps5 goals
Barry Wilson 174 apps51 goals
Roy McBain 148 apps8 goals
David Bingham 24 apps8 goals
Russell Duncan 98 apps1 goal
Liam Keogh 42 apps1 goal
Paul Ritchie 108 apps49 goals
Grant Munro (sub) 78 apps2 goals
Darran Thomson (sub) 15 apps -
Craig MacMillan (sub) 7 apps -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (24 years 307 days)
Oldest Player:Mark Brown (2005 years 155 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 136 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (24 years 307 days)
Oldest Player:Craig MacMillan (2005 years 155 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 136 days
Domestic Players:16 (100.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

A great game for the neutral but disappointment for the large Caley Thistle travelling support. The visitors were on top in the first half but it was County who had the chances. County pressed hard in the second half and were finally rewarded. The first good chance fell to David Bingham in 12 minutes but Graeme Smith acrobatically turned over his curling shot. Paul Ritchie headed over in 22 minutes then four minutes later Liam Keogh took on the County defence single handed but shot wide. With six minutes of the first half left County’s David Winters was well placed at the back post but he hit the side netting. Seconds later County had a strong penalty claim turned down when Ross Tokely and Winters clashed. Three minutes later Mark Brown appeared to be fouled when a high ball reached him – he dropped it and Winters shot was cleared off the line by Stuart McCaffrey. Just after the break Tokely appeared to barge Winters down but again no penalty was given. In 53 minutes Steve McGarry was clear at the back post but when the pass came from Winters he mishit. At the other end Barry Wilson sent two good balls in a row into the County box but one was blocked and the other ran past. The best shot and save of the match came in 70 minutes when County’s John Rankin hammered the ball towards the top corner from 30 yards but Mark Brown brilliantly tipped it over. The only goal of the game arrived seven minutes from time in bizarre circumstances. Conor Gethins collected a cross from the left wing at the back post and, as he attempted to turn it across goal, it hit off Stuart Golabek into the net. In the last few minutes John Robertson threw on three substitutes and his side pressed hard. The last chance came three minutes over time when a Russell Duncan free kick fell to Roy McBain with his back to goal – he hooked the ball goalwards but Smith punched clear. Despite the defeat Caley Thistle managed to hold second place.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Clyde 20 12 4 4 32 21 11 40
2. Inverness CT 19 11 3 5 37 17 20 36
3. Queen of the South 20 10 4 6 28 25 3 34
4. Ross County 20 9 6 5 38 26 12 33
5. St. Johnstone 20 8 7 5 32 22 10 31
6. Falkirk 19 8 5 6 22 21 1 29
7. St. Mirren 19 5 7 7 18 25 -7 22
8. Raith Rovers 19 5 3 11 21 31 -10 18
9. Ayr United 20 3 7 10 20 36 -16 16
10. Brechin City 20 2 4 14 19 43 -24 10