Ross County have given themselves the ideal platform for the new Premiership season after racking up a second successive victory over Hamilton Accies.
Monday’s opening day triumph over Motherwell got Stuart Kettlewell’s men off to a fine start, which the Staggies further underpinned by making it a Lanarkshire double at New Douglas Park.
Kettlewell and his opposite number Brian Rice had both expressed their relish at being widely tipped for a season of struggle in the build up to the game. Although it was not the prettiest of spectacles in large parts, County looked infinitely more dangerous in attack and deservedly triumphed through Billy Mckay’s second-half strike.
The combination of attacking threat and defensive rigidity in the opening two games has been a source of satisfaction for Kettlewell, who said: “It’s a brilliant win on the road, although it wasn’t the most quality I’ve ever seen in a game of football.
“It’s pleasing that we are creating chances, but the big thing that pleases me is that you will always have a chance in the game if you’re keeping the back door shut.
“Our new, fairly young back four and goalkeeper have acquitted themselves well, which pleases me.”
The opening day starting 11 did not let Kettlewell down, and the Staggies boss had little reason to ring the changes as he went for the same team which defeated the Steelmen.
County made a bright start with some fluent attacking play which resembled much of their particularly impressive first half performance against Well. Harry Paton was heavily involved, playing a neat reverse pass into Mckay on six minutes, with the attacker’s effort smothered at the near post by Ryan Fulton.
The Staggies passed up an even better opportunity just two minutes later, with Paton’s square ball neatly dummied by Mckay to release Lee Erwin, but his close-range effort was blocked by the legs of Fulton.
The hosts’ first glimpse of goal arrived on 13 minutes, with Scott McMann’s corner nodded wide by Hakeem Odoffin. Accies called Ross Laidlaw into action for the first time on 26 minutes with the Staggies goalkeeper getting down low at his right hand post to hold Callum Smith’s effort.
The second half was largely one-way traffic towards the hosts’ goal, however, with County enjoying their best flurry of the match on the hour mark. Their first of three chances came when Mckay’s acrobatic effort forced a block from Odoffin, with the resulting corner by Iain Vigurs flashing past the head of Coll Donaldson, who had the goal at his mercy.
A glorious chance arrived moments later when Mckay broke down the left flank before picking out Randall, with the right back deftly slipping in Stewart who was denied his second goal of the season by the width of Fulton’s left hand post.
The winner came on 76 minutes, however, courtesy of predatory instincts by Mckay. Skipper Vigurs, who had been a lynchpin in County’s midfield, supplied a menacing cross from the left which was fumbled by Fulton, and although Mckay saw his first effort blocked, he showed rugged determination to succeed at the second attempt with a crisp low finish.
Away victories were few and far between for the Staggies last season, however ,upcoming home fixtures against Kilmarnock and Dundee United give the Dingwall men a huge opportunity to build serious momentum at the start of the campaign.
Kettlewell added: “We just have to build on it. We got two away wins last year and now we’ve already got one this season. What I don’t want to do is be sitting here in months’ time looking for my next one.
“I’ve just said that to the players about trying to push boundaries and see where that will take us.
“We’ve got this result but now we’ve got two home games and we need to look at how we can piece together some sort of home record.”
