Ross County forward Liam Boyce dedicated his Highland derby hat-trick to his baby daughter Scout after his goals helped the Staggies record a 3-2 victory against rivals Caley Thistle on Saturday.
Boyce’s goals made him the first player to score a hat-trick in the fixture since the two sides first met in the Scottish leagues in 1994, securing County’s first league win against Inverness since a 2-1 win at Caledonian Stadium in January 2014.
The Northern Ireland international narrowly missed out on a place in his country’s squad for the European championships in France but still had cause to celebrate after becoming a father for the first time.
Boyce’s first goals of the season negated an own goal from Staggies defender Andrew Davies and a fine finish from Inverness’ Ross Draper and the 25-year-old was delighted to give his family reason to be cheerful.
Boyce said: “I’ll be giving the match ball to my daughter as it’s the first goals I’ve scored since she’s been born.
“It will be her first present, my first goals, and they came in threes.
“I hadn’t scored this season, so it was great to do it in such an important game. It was a bit nervous at the end but to get the win was very important to get us going in the season.
“The only time we beat Inverness last year was in the League Cup, so it’s good to get one over on them to get us up and running in the league.”
