Ross County Database

DateTuesday, 26 November 1991
CompetitionInverness Cup
Fixture/ScoreCaledonian FC 2:3 Ross County
VenueKingsmills
RefereeAndy Robb
Ross County
ManagerRobert (Bobby) Wilson
Starting 111: Michael Ure, 2: Christopher (Chris) Somerville, 3: Gary Campbell, 4: Robert (Robbie) Williamson, 5: Johnston Bellshaw, 6: Cameron Robertson, 7: Keith (Billy) Ferries, 8: Brian Grant, 9: Alan Duff, 10: Gordon Connelly, 11: Barry Wilson 3
Bench0: Gary Ross, 0: Jamie MacPherson
Attendance1,768
Match ReportMatch Report
Report by Mike Tremlett for the Press & Journal.
Ross County 3 Caledonian FC 2
Ross County ended a 12-year wait to get their hands on the Press & Journal Inverness Cup in a thrilling final at Kingsmills, running out 3-2 winners over Caley.
After a 28-minute delay to get an 1,800-strong crowd in to Kingsmills, a Barry Wilson hat-trick had County cruising with a 3-0 lead after 70 minutes.
But Caley battled their way back into the match through goals from Billy Urquhart and Danny Macdonald to pull two goals back in the final 20 minutes before they ran out of time.
Caley came out of the blocks like a class sprinter at the kick-off, clicking straight into top gear to drive County on to their heels, but for all the time the ball spent in and about the Caley penalty area the Blues had nothing to show for their effort after the opening 20 minutes.
Then, in the 22nd minute, the game turned dramatically when County went ahead.
Winger Barry WILSON bundled the ball past Caley keeper McRitchie at the back post after Duff toe-poked a Ferries slip past the last Caley defender.
Suddenly the game opened up and everything began to go County's way and on the half hour they scored a quality goal to go 2-0 ahead.
Gordon Connelly, who was beginning to make his presence felt, slid a lovely ball up the inside right channel to Duff. The County striker slipped the ball to his left and WILSON arrived at full pace to sweep the ball past the helpless Caley keeper.
County left back Gary Campbell collected the first booking of the tie in the 40th minute and Martin Lisle of Caley joined him on the stroke of half time after a crunching challenge on Cammy Robertson.
Caley's best chance of reducing County's lead fell to Wilson Robertson in 41 minutes, but his searing drive, which was hit on the run from 18 yards, was matched by an equally fine save from Mike Ure.
Trying to make inroads to their two-goal deficit, Caley began the second half as they started the first--pushing forward.
Gary Campbell cleared a Charlie Christie shot off the goal line in 59 minutes after Ure was stranded by Christie's effort.
With County defending well under almost incessant Caley pressure, the nearest the Blues came to pulling one back was a 25yd drive from Lisle, which just cleared Ure's crossbar.
County went further ahead in 70 minutes when WILSON outstripped the Caley defence and slid the ball past the advancing McRitchie to complete his hat-trick.
But, within a minute, Caley pulled a goal back after Ure got down well to block a cracking drive from Martin Lisle. The ball broke to URQUHART who picked his shot.
In the 77th minute the Caley contingent were baying for a penalty after McAllister went down under a challenge from the County keeper close to the bye line, but the referee waved away the appeals.
A minute later Caley were back in the game. Charlie Christie drifted out wide on the left and picked out MACDONALD at the back post. His header looped over Ure in to the net to set up a grandstand finish.
Bellshaw rattled the Caley crossbar five minutes from time with a powerful header from a Wilson corner which would have finished the tie had it gone in.
But Caley, determined to fight to the end, finished the game with County pinned back defending a string of corners before time eventually ran out and County were left to collect the trophy.