Hamilton 2
Ross County 2
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Source unknown.

County came from two goals down to salvage a well-earned point at New Douglas Park, and in the process consigning Hamilton Academical to their 10th consecutive match without a win. Jason Scotland tapped home from a corner and Dougie Imrie rifled home a shot home to give Accies what looked like a comfortable lead.However, back came the visitors, and a superb Craig Curran header pulled one back for County before the break, and a well-taken strike from Michael Gardyne levelled the score with eighteen minutes remaining. That effort was the striker’s 50th career goal for the staggies.
The draw extends the Highlanders' unbeaten run to five games. With four minutes gone, Ali Crawford won a corner with a low, curling shot well-saved by Mark Brown, and from Daniel Redmond's delivery, Scotland prodded home at the far post. County missed a glorious opportunity to level almost immediately, as a corner created havoc in the home defence, the ball ricocheting off several pairs of legs before Scott Boyd fired over the bar from six yards.
Crawford continued to look lively on the slick New Douglas Park surface, testing Mark Brown again with another low drive that brought a fine save from the keeper.
And it was the playmaker's sharpness of mind and fleetness of foot that sparked Accies' second, jinking and breaking from deep to free Danny Redmond down the left.
He sent Dougie Imrie through on goal, and with the County defence scrambling, the winger was ruthless, in slamming the ball beyond Brown at his near post.
The Highlanders struck back on 27 minutes when Craig Curran rose above the defence to power home a superb header from an inch perfect Raffa De Vita cross on the the six-yard line. Danny Redmond dragged a shot wide from the edge of the penalty area on the half-hour mark after more dynamic midfield play from the hosts, and Jake Jervis missed a gilt-edged chance to level the scores when he headed Martin Woods' cross past the near post from point-blank range. The second half began with the same intensity as the first ended - the onrushing Marcus Fraser sliced a neat Michael Gardyne cut-back wide for County, before Crawford again broke forward at pace and flashed a shot across the face of Brown's goal. Darvydas Sernas replaced Jake Jervis as the visitors sought an equaliser, Curran's looping header cleared by the under pressure Accies defence. The home side remained a threat on the break, however. Grant Gillespie made an important intervention in his own goalmouth, before brushing the side netting with a left-foot strike at the other end. But Accies' resistance would not last. Michael Gardyne made the breakthrough for County, applying a clipped back-post finish to another De Vita cross to square the match with less than 20 minutes to play. The closing stages were, understandably, frenetic and lacking in quality, with neither side able to muster the cohesion and ruthlessness to fashion a late winner.
County’s resilience in coming back from a two-goal defecit will install further confidence in a staggies side very much focused on the job in hand.