| Date | Wednesday, 18 August 1999 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Cup |
| Fixture/Score | Dundee United 3:1 Ross County |
| Venue | Tannadice Park |
| Attendance | 4,682 |
| Referee | Kenny Clark |
| Comments | Match Report Report by Neil Irvine for the Scotsman. Dundee United 3 Ross County 1 Loss After Extra Time Dundee United fought hard well into extra time to finally defeat Ross County in last night's CIS second round cup tie at Tannadice. However, the Highlanders can take full credit for their part in a rousing encounter. Steven Thompson's extra-time goals were in the end what separated these two teams rather than the length of three divisions. What a difference a few days makes, with United still fresh from the victory over Celtic. And yet it could not have been a total surprise to the Tannadice faithful. It was this same fixture a little more than 12 months ago which marked one of United's all-time lows when County beat them 2-0, a result which signalled the beginning of the end for Sturrock's predecessor, Tommy McLean. However, at the risk of stating the obvious, a year in football can make the world of difference to a club's fortunes. The United side who trudged shamefully from Victoria Park last August are now barely recognisable. Fresh faces have appeared, and with them an optimism and spirit which has seen Sturrock's side make the best start to a league campaign for many a year. On the other hand, with six players from last year's famous victory in their starting line-up, together with a cluster of experienced summer signings, County surely fancied their chances of another upset. The early stages only served to strengthen Highland hopes. Gone was the sparkle and slickness United have shown of late, and in their place was a sluggishness and uncertainty, with Siggi Jonsson, an injury victim from Sunday's victory, sorely missed in defence. What would have gone some way to appeasing Sturrock however, was his side's opening goal in 28 minutes. David Hannah threaded a pass through to Joaquim Ferraz who held off Brian Irvine's challenge before curling a shot home. However, with United appearing happy to sit on this lead, they paid a heavy price five minutes before the interval when Franck Escalon was given the time and space to turn and beat Alan Combe. County's defence stuck assiduously to its task in the second half, and, growing in appetite, the Highlanders almost snatched the lead on the hour, a Craig Tully shot from fully 40 yards forcing Combe into a desperate parry. Even the introduction of Craig Easton did little to trouble the visiting defence, and as play raged towards the end of normal time, it was the home side who needed all measures to contain a County side fired up for some last-minute glory. With play spilling over into extra time, it was United who began to assert themselves. An Alex Mathie shot dipped just over while Nicky Walker produced a fine save from Easton. Thompson made the break-through in 115 minutes, slithering his shot past Walker, and he made sure of victory with a second goal four minutes later. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Neale Cooper |
| Starting 11 | 1: Joseph (Nicky) Walker, 2: Craig Tully, 3: Ian Maxwell, 4: Brian Irvine, 5: Steven Ferguson 1, 6: Roy McBain, 7: Franck Escalon 1, 8: John McGlashan, 9: Kenneth Gilbert, 10: George Shaw, 11: Kevin Finlayson |
| Bench | 0: John Fraser, 0: Michael Geraghty, 0: Garry Wood 1 |
| Dundee United | |
| Manager | Paul Sturrock |
| Starting 11 | Alan Combe, David Partridge, Bernard Pascual, Magnus Skoldmark, Jason De Vos, David Worrell, Hugh Davidson, David Hannah, Darren Patterson 1, Billy Dodds, Joaquim Ferraz 1 |
| Bench | Craig Easton, Alex Mathie, Steven Thompson 2 |