Irn-Bru Division One
Victoria Park, Dingwall
Saturday 28th January 2012
Ross County moved five points clear at the top of the Irn-Bru First Division after a 3-0 win over Livingston at Victoria Park.
Colin McMenamin scored once in each half, before substitute Sam Morrow added a third late on.
County started the game brightly and had the ball in the net after only a few minutes when Scott Boyd bundled the ball over the line following a corner from the right, but the goal was disallowed, referee John McKendrick judging that the Livingston goalkeeper Andrew McNeil had been fouled.
Livingston replied minutes later when they too got the ball in the net, Ian Russell lobbing the ball over Michael Fraser from the edge of the box, but the goal was disallowed with Russell being judged offside.
With the pitch cutting up badly, County were struggling to get their passing game going, and the Livingston strikers were constantly harassing the County defence looking for intercept any loose ball. This proved to be the case a few times, but the County defence generally recovered and prevented any shots on goal, and County's keeper Michael Fraser was largely untested.
The game failed to get into a rhythm with the referee stopping the play needlessly at times, yet failing to stop for other blatant fouls.
As the half wore on County started to take control of the game though, and they took the lead on the half hour mark, a corner from the right was knocked into the middle of the goal, the ball bobbled about before falling to Colin McMenamin who riffled the ball into the net from a tight angle. The Livingston players were appealing that the ball had hit a County players hand during the passage of play, but their appeals fell on deaf ears of the referee.
The re-start of the game was held up for a few minutes with the Livingston defender Jason Talbot requiring treatment for what looked like a shoulder injury, he ended up going off the field and had to be replaced by Bobby Barr.
The remainder of the first half belonged to County, and came close to doubling the lead when Iain Vigurs curled a free kick just wide of the right hand post.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first half, in that Livingston made all the early running, but despite this failed to test Michael Fraser in the County goal.
Then as the game went on County came more and more into it. Iain Vigurs came closest to a second goal when his shot from the edge of the box just skimmed the right hand post.
A double substitution for County midway through the half saw Steven Craig and Mark Corcoran replacing Rocco Quinn and Michael Gardyne.
This added a bit more a direct attacking dimension to County's play, and the Livingston defence came under more and more pressure.
This pressure finally payed off ten minutes from the end when County doubled their lead. Again it came following a corner, this time on the left side. The ball was knocked i, and found it's way to Colin McMenamin who was only a couple of yards out at the left hand post, where he rifled the ball into the net.
This proved to be his last involvement of the game as he was immediately replaced by Sam Morrow.
County were now finding their passing game, and were in total control. And it was substitute Sam Morrow who added a third goal a few minutes from the end. A long punt out of defence saw him run through on goal, the Livingston players all appealed for off-side, in fact Morrow even had time to check with the linesman before running through on goal and firing a low shot past the keeper and going into the net via the base of the left hand post.
Full Time : Ross County 3-0 Livingston
County Team : Fraser, Miller, Morrison, Boyd, Munro, Quinn (Corcoran), Gardyne (Craig), Kettlewell, McMenamin (Morrow), Brittain, Vigurs
Subs Not Used : Malin, Byrne
