Date	Saturday, 10 August 1946
Competition	Highland League Cup
Fixture/Score	Ross County 4:1 Inverness Thistle
Venue	Victoria Park
Referee	Mr. D MacKenzie
Ross County
Manager	The Management Committee
Starting 11	1: Fred Newton, 2: Willie (Wicky) Spence, 3: Bill Paterson, 4: John Patience, 5: Adam Forsyth 1, 6: Charlie Thain, 7: Frankie MacBeath, 8: Jocky (SNR) Clark, 9: Charles (Chic) Ogilvie 2, 10: Alick Ferguson 1, 11: Tommy Urquhart
Bench
Attendance	1,041
Match Report	Report from the Ross-shire Journal. Ross County 4 Inverness Thistle 1 Ross County opened the football season on Saturday at Dingwall. Their opponents were Thistle, Inverness, and the match was the first round of the Highland League Cup competition, which is played on the home and home principle. Over 1000 people witnessed the game — 1041 actually paid at the gate — and they were treated to an interesting game, well refereed and sportingly contested. It was typically an opening of the season game. The players — many of them strange to each other — took some time to settle down before they were able to exploit their individual ability. What did emerge was a high standard of football, although perhaps lacking that do-or-die cup-tie spirit. There were thrills — too many — but sufficient to keep the spectators on their toes till well on to the end, when Ross County made themselves safe for the day. Right from the start, the visitors attacked, and Pyke lost a likely chance through over eagerness. It was fully ten minutes before Ross County found their feet, following which the game was evenly contested, with the ball going quickly from goal to goal without much real danger to either. Eventually the County did score through Ogilvie, and they just about deserved it. There was no further scoring this half. On resuming, Thistle again started well and for a time more than held their own. On occasions Forsyth, Spence and Newton alone held the eager forwards out. No one grudged them the equaliser when Bootland beat Newton. Heartened, Thistle maintained the pressure and were awarded a penalty when Paterson accidentally handled. Newton brought off a magnificent save. Disappointed at the frustration, Thistle appeared to fall away, and County took control of the game, and three goals followed. Ferguson got the first and Forsyth the second, when he intercepted with his head a perfectly taken corner kick by Macbeth. The last was the result of a mix-up in front of goal. It is doubtful who put the ball in the net, but Ogilvie got the credit. Ross County were somewhat flattered by the score; Thistle were not so inferior as it suggests. Ferguson was the outstanding man for the County in front, with Macbeth a good second. Ogilvie and Clark were steady all through without being brilliant, and Urquhart improved as the game advanced. Forsyth was a splendid pivot, his breaking-up of attacks and feeding his forwards being beyond praise. Thain was erratic and Patience was obviously out of place at right half. Spence was the better of two backs, while Newton is still the best goalkeeper so far seen in the North. Bootland was Thistle's best forward, with raider Pyke a dangerous opportunist. Urquhart and Robertson were the more serviceable of the half-backs; Goodfellow in goal could not be blamed for any of the four goals scored against him.