Motherwell 1
Ross County 2
League (Premiership)


Motherwell 

1 - 2

Ross County


League (Premiership)
Sunday, May 16th, 2021
Fir Park, Motherwell (Behind closed doors)
12:00 PM Kick-off


Goalscorers
Sam Foley (7) Iain Vigurs (49)
Michael Gardyne (66)

Team Managers
Graham Alexander John Hughes

Starting Eleven
13 Liam Kelly
4 Ricki Lamie
5 Nathan McGinley
33 Stephen O'Donnell
40 Tyler Magloire
7 Mark O'Hara
8 Robbie Crawford
9 Chris Long
11 Jake Hastie
37 Sam Foley
44 Devante Cole
Ross Laidlaw .1
Keith Watson .15
Coll Donaldson .25
Carl Tremarco .3
Jason Naismith .23
Blair Spittal .20
Michael Gardyne .7
Iain Vigurs .11
Jordan Tillson .22
Stephen Kelly .18
Jordan White .26

Bench
3 Jake Carroll
12 Scott Fox
14 Steven Lawless
15 Barry Maguire
18 Charles Dunne
26 Dean Cornelius
27 Max Johnston
31 Declan Gallagher
32 Tony Watt
Joe Hilton .21
Harry Paton .24
Ross Draper .6
Tony Andreu .28
Mohamed Maouche .10
Charlie Lakin .19
Regan Charles-Cook .17
Matthew Wright .44
Oli Shaw .8

Substitutions
Steven Lawless for Jake Hastie (60)
Tony Watt for Robbie Crawford (65)
Charlie Lakin for Carl Tremarco (42)
Regan Charles-Cook for Michael Gardyne (88)

Cautions
Tyler Magloire (3)
Devante Cole (76)
Tony Watt (79)
Iain Vigurs (1)
Carl Tremarco (33)
Jordan Tillson (86)

Red Cards
None. None.

Match Officials

Steven McLean (Referee)



Match Report


Source unknown.

Ross County guaranteed safety from relegation to the Scottish Championship this afternoon with a fantastic 2-1 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park.

Sam Foley opened the scoring for the hosts but goals from Iain Vigurs and Michael Gardyne led County to a famous victory that will see the Staggies return to play in the Scottish Premiership next season.

We are staying up!

In just the 7th minute of the match, the Staggies went behind. Mark O’Hara completed an overlapping run to receive the ball from Jake Hastie on the right of the box before Sam Foley bundled in the midfielder’s deflected cross.

6 minutes later, County had a glorious opportunity to relevel the match! Blair Spittal’s right-footed cross from the left of the box was partially headed clear by Nathan McGinley. The ball then landed at the feet of Jordan White who crashed his right-footed half-volley off the top of the crossbar from close range to deny himself of a dream goal on his return to Fir Park.

In the 18th minute, the Staggies must have thought they had equalised again! Blair Spittal’s corner was met by the head of Keith Watson on the edge of the six-yard area, but his powered effort was blocked by his own teammate, Michael Garydne, who was standing in an offside position.

In the first minute of stoppage time, County had yet another chance to restore level terms. Intricate combination play from Michael Gardyne, Iain Vigurs and Charlie Lakin on the left of the box allowed Michael Gardyne some space to drive into the box. The winger burst past Tyler Magloire and had only Liam Kelly to beat, but he blazed his left-footed shot well over the bar from a tight angle.

As it stood, Ross County had fallen into the dreaded 11th place Premiership relegation play-off position as Kilmarnock were 2-0 up against Hamilton. The Staggies still needed just 1 goal to guarantee safety from relegation…

4 minutes after the restart, captain Iain Vigurs stepped up with a fabulous finish to equalise for the Staggies! Vigurs played a clever ‘one-two’ with Stephen Kelly on the edge of the area before opening his body and guiding a beautiful left-footed curling shot into the top left corner.

In the 65th minute, County went into the lead! Jordan White pinched the ball from Mark O’Hara before slipping in Michael Gardyne on the left flank. The club’s record goal scorer then added to his impressive tally after he advanced towards goal and stayed composed to send the ball beyond the helpless Liam Kelly.

For the remainder of the match, the Steelmen continued to pepper the County box with crosses, but they were unsuccessful in their pursuit of another goal. In similar fashion to County’s previous 2 victories, the Staggies were resolute in defence and repelled any danger that was directed their way.

In the end, County held on for the 2-1 win and recorded their third consecutive Scottish Premiership victory for the first time this season.

After 38 gruelling matches, it can be finally confirmed: Ross County Football Club are safe from relegation!

*Match report courtesy of Ross County Football Club*.



Squad Statistics (as at May 16th, 2021)


2020/21 All Time
Age
Ross Laidlaw (GK)28 40 - 62 -
Carl Tremarco35 15 - 15 -
Coll Donaldson26 341421
Keith Watson31 26 - 823
Jason Naismith26 18 - 752
Stephen Kelly21 29 - 29 -
Jordan Tillson28 36 - 44 -
Iain Vigurs33 35223829
Michael Gardyne35 35244473
Blair Spittal25 91355
Jordan White29 134134
Regan Charles-Cook (sub)24 322322
Charlie Lakin (sub)22 244244






League Table (as at May 16th, 2021)


No league table has been added for this season.