Ross County will hope their late equaliser against Motherwell can provide a springboard in their efforts to move off the foot of the Premiership.
They looked to be heading for a sixth defeat from their last seven games following Stuart McKinstry’s opener, until Jordy Hiwula stepped up with a vital leveller within seconds of coming on as a substitute.
County had the wind behind them in the first half. but it was the Steelmen who had the best of the limited chances on offer.
McKinstry was at the heart of the danger and struck an early effort off the outside of the post after cutting in from the left, while a short time later he saw another strike from similar range tipped around the post by Ross Laidlaw.
It was the Staggies who made the brighter start to the second half, with Yan Dhanda twice seeing swerving efforts thwarted by Liam Kelly.
The Steelmen made what looked like a decisive breakthrough on 68 minutes, however, with Kevin Van Veen’s lay-off picking out McKinstry and his crisp low shot carried too much for Laidlaw to keep out.
Within just seven seconds of arriving on the field on 80 minutes, however, Hiwula latched on to a Jordan White flick on to tuck under the body of Kelly and salvage an important point for Malky Mackay’s men.
Talking points
Can the result be a turning point for Staggies?
Although County have still failed to win in their last seven games, the manner of their draw will come as a psychological boost.
This was a crucially important fixture, given County went into the game at the foot of the table, trailing Motherwell by three points.
The margin remains the same, but there are now three teams that distance ahead.
Among the teams immediately within reach of County are Kilmarnock, who they face in their next league fixture in Dingwall.
Losing a game of such magnitude at Fir Park would have been another setback, but the point gives them something to build on.
With their next game coming against bottom Championship side Hamilton Accies in the Scottish Cup, the Staggies will be eager to return to winning ways in order to restore some momentum to take back into their league campaign.
Staggies showed they have heart for the fight
Any team at the bottom of the league will have to show a strong response to adversity if they are to have any hope of climbing the table.
In recent weeks, particularly in defeats to Dundee United and Livingston, an inability to convert key chances has been County’s downfall.
This was never going to be a game of many opportunities given the horrendous conditions in Lanarkshire, with the respective league standings contributing to a suitably scrappy encounter.
Following McKinstry’s breakthrough, it would have been easy for County to rue another hard luck story, however, they showed the sort of grit which is going to be required in the coming weeks.
This was the 15th match in which the Dingwall men have fallen behind this term, with only five points claimed from those fixtures.
This will likely not be the last match that is far from pleasing on the eye, and the Staggies will see this result as an encouraging sign they can deal with the ugly side of the game.
Hiwula breaks his duck
Forward Hiwula has endured a frustrating wait for a first league goal since his summer move from Doncaster Rovers.
Following a promising Premier Sports Cup campaign in which he netted three goals, Hiwula had failed to net in 10 starts and 10 substitute appearances on league duty.
He is unlikely to ever make a quicker impact than the one he did at Fir Park.
After Jordan White flicked on a Connor Randall throw-in, Hiwula showed striker’s instincts to run in behind the Well defence and finish under Kelly.
Along with ending his own drought, Hiwula’s goal ended his team’s run of 508 minutes without scoring.
With White having been on good form prior to County’s goalscoring struggles, Mackay will eagerly hope the pair can continue to contribute in the coming weeks.
Talking tactics
Mackay resisted the temptation to throw new arrival Nohan Kenneh straight into the line-up following his loan move from Hibernian, with the Liberia-born midfielder starting on the bench.
There were two changes from the side which suffered defeat to Livingston, however, with Jack Baldwin replacing Keith Watson as skipper at the heart of defence.
The Staggies were also boosted by the return of Dhanda from a hamstring injury, and he took Kazeem Olaigbe’s place.
Referee watch
David Dickinson’s first flashpoint came on 22 minutes when Owura Edwards went to ground inside the box as he looked to take the ball past onrushing Well keeper Kelly. The referee did not entertain the claim at the time, and was quickly reassured by a swift VAR check.
Player ratings
MOTHERWELL (4-3-3): Kelly 6; Johnston 6, Solholm 7, Lamie 7, Penney 6, Goss 6 (Tierney 65), McGinn 6, Spittal 5 (Maguire 75); Crankshaw 6 (Mandron 75), Van Veen 7, McKinstry 7.
Subs not used: Oxborough, Cornelius, Blaney, Shields, Dunachie, Miller.
ROSS COUNTY (4-3-2-1): Laidlaw 6, Randall 6, Baldwin 7, Iacovitti 7, Harmon 6, Cancola 6, Tillson 6 (Kenneh 75), Callachan 6, Dhanda 7 (Hiwula 79), Edwards 6 (Olaigbe 85), White 7.
Subs not used: Munro, Sims, Loturi, Watson, Akio, Smith.
Attendace: 4,574
Star man
Stuart McKinstry – The winger was at the heart of any of Well’s attacking threat and from an early stage he looked a possible match winner, which looked to be on the cards until Hiwula’s leveller.
