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Last updated : 18 September 2005 By BCM
County hold on to top position of the First Division after beating Brechin City at Victoria Park. Despite being in total control for the first 45 minutes and playing some entertaining football, County found themselves only one goal in front at half time courtesy of an Alex Burke goal on the 21st minute when he beat the offside trap to race forward round the Brechin keeper and slot the ball into the net.
The second half was less entertaining, with neither team creating much in front of goal, although with only a one goal lead there was a nervous period for County near the end.
The only change to the team that drew with St. Johnstone last week was the enforced change of David Cowan sitting the game out through injury, and Don Cowie getting a place in the starting line up. Ian McCaldon also shows signs of recovering from injury as he took his place on the bench, although Stuart Garden was still preferred in goals.
The heavy rain shortly before kick-off made the pitch greasy in the early stages of the game, but this didn’t stop County from coming out of the block at a blistering pace, which has been something John Robertson has been trying to install in the team this season, and within the opening seconds of the match Mark McCulloch won the ball on the right wing and sent in a dangerous cross towards the back post, but no other County player was there to take advantage.
Then with the game only three minutes old, County should have taken the lead. Steven McGarry played a long ball through to Alex Burke, after a fortunate break the ball fell to Don Cowie, who sent in an early cross to Maciej Nuckowski, but he was unable to get a full foot on the ball and his touch saw the ball drift just past the post with Craig Nelson in the Brechin goal beaten.
Don Cowie was finding loads of space on the right wing in the opening minutes, and he again played in a dangerous cross to the edge of the six yard box, John Rankin tried to get a head on to the ball, but Craig Nelson did enough to touch the ball away from him.
County continued to pin Brechin back and were awarded a corner kick on the tenth minute, John Rankin took the kick from the right hand side and found Sean Webb unmarked at the back post, Webb did everything right in heading the ball down, but as the ball looked to be bouncing into the net Nelson again was there to punch the ball over the bar and out for another corner on the left, this time the ball was hooked clear by the Brechin defence.
Brechin’s only chance of the first half came on the 20th minute, this being a long range shot by Charlie King, but Stuart Garden had no trouble in holding on to it.
But within seconds of this chance County were to take the lead. Steven McGarry’s long ball found Alex Burke who had beaten the offside trap on the half way line, he continued his run in on goal, with about eight yards to go he took a further touch to get past Craig Nelson and role the ball into the net from a tight angle. As the entire County team celebrated with Burke the Brechin players protested to the referee Eddie Smith that Burke had been in an offside position.
County were looking to add to the lead, and Nuckowski had another good chance but he only managed to head Don Cowie’s cross over the bar from about eight yards out.
As the half came to a close Mark McCullochmade a bursting run into the box, somehow he managed to barge his way through the entire defence, before he saw his final shot block only a couple of yards from the goal line.
The second half didn’t produce the same level of excitement that the first 45 minutes provided. The movement from the County players in the first half had caused loads of problems for the Brechin defence, but this half they managed to stop the ball getting to Don Cowie who had been the main source of the problems in the first.
In fact it was Brechin who were first to threaten in the second half, but Stuart Garden did well to tip the ball over the bar when the fierce shot came in from about 20 yards out.
Don Cowie did manage to break free though in the 56 minute, his cross found Nuckowski who knocked the ball down to John Rankin on the edge of the box, but his shot was charged down by the defender.
John Robertson tried to change the forward line a bit with both Steven McGarry and Maciej Nuckowski making way for Sean Higgins and Gary McSwegan. And it was Higgins who had the next chance but he was unable to control the ball inside the Brechin penalty box and the danger was cleared.
Eleven minutes from the end Brechin’s Paul Ritchie showed that they were still a danger when he flashed a low shot across goal, Stuart Garden did dive and seemed to have it covered but looked to have hurt his shoulder in the process. County were about to make their third substitution at the time with David Winters coming on, but this was held up for a few minutes until the County bench were sure Garden was fit to continue. Winters did swap places with Alex Burke shortly afterwards.
With County still only having the single goal advantage there was a nervous few moments when Paul Ritchie rose unmarked at a corner, but thankfully his header flew well wide of the target.
But County should have wrapped the points up with a couple of minutes left. A long ball out of defence saw David Winters break free, as he ran in on goal, he opted to go for glory only to see his shot go high and wide, when the better option would have been to cross the ball to the back post where Gary McSwegan had matched his run and was unmarked.
Then as the game went into injury time, Winters again broke free, but this time the right option was to have a crack at goal, which he did, only to see Craig Nelson make a superb diving save to turn the ball over his bar, however there was no time for the corner kick to be taken as referee Eddie Smith blew for full time.
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Alex Burke scored the only goal to keep Ross County clear at the top of Division One after a hard-fought win. A pass from Steve McGarry set Burke clear in the 21st minute and the striker rounded City keeper Craig Nelson to slot the ball home.
County started strongly and Macij Nuckowski missed a glaring chance in the first minute.
Nelson made a wonderful one-handed save from a Sean Webb header and later made a great stop to deny David Winters.
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ON A DAY so dreich even the ducks didn't looked chuffed, Ross County's defence again stayed watertight. Their newfound durability when faced by a tide of pressure augurs well for the weeks and months ahead.
A curious statistic relating to these two teams was that they had never met in successive seasons through County's 10-year Scottish League existence.
With all of the fortune in the second half resting with the hosts, Brechin - still chasing that elusive first win - might find the fact more than a touch disturbing. Certainly, Ian Campbell's men won't lack fight this season, but they already sit in an uncomfortable zone near the foot of the table.
For County, under John Robertson, the fragility that wrecked last season's best efforts appears to have gone and, as they say, you make your own luck sometimes. What a sweat it proved for their supporters latterly, though, as Brechin battled hard, but in vain, to salvage a point.
Whether or not unexpected pacesetters County can prevail this season is increasingly the big talking point in First Division circles and events at Victoria Park offered little conclusive to strengthen the case either way.
Having split Brechin's defences after 22 minutes, a furiously-contested game of football latterly became something of a white-knuckle ride for those of County persuasion.
Brechin were more adventurous than has been their norm away from home this season with County's former Caley Thistle tormentor Paul Ritchie paired with ex-Dunfermline striker Steven Hampshire.
But the basic story of the first half was County's dogged efforts to out-fox the Brechin offside trap.
Polish striker Maciej Nuckowski, having broken his duck last week, came within a foot's length of his second County goal after four minutes. Don Cowie stabbed the ball into the danger area from the right but the ball skidded just beyond the Pole's toes.
There was never any room for County slacking against eager opposition, with Hampshire's 15-yard strike deflected just over the bar off defender Martin Canning's body.
Tellingly, the Dingwall hosts cracked that offside trap in 22 minutes - and in some style. Steven McGarry whipped the ball behind the Brechin defence down the inside left channel and it was all the invitation Alex Burke required.
Tearing through at pace, the striker confidently slipped the approaching Craig Nelson and stuck the ball in the empty net. The Brechin technical area were screaming offside, but a wag of Robertson's finger at opposite number Campbell told of his feelings.
There was much less in the way of goalmouth action as the second half opened, but the fight and graft on both sides could hardly be faulted.
John Rankin had a sniff at goal but was blocked at the edge of the Brechin area, while Brechin's Charlie King similarly hit a brick wall in the opposite penalty area.
Scrappiness in both camps was keeping the supporters on the edge of their seats for all the wrong reasons. John Rankin made a more constructive impact in 65 minutes, threading the ball to Nuckowski outside the area before his strike spun for a corner.
The corner was played deep to Burke whose whipped cross into the area broke clumsily off a Brechin body and fell to substitute Sean Higgins. The little striker seemed to lack composure at the vital moment, though, and the chance was gone.
County's apparent nerves came close to causing trouble for them. Their opponents pressed hard with Paul Ritchie whisking a tight-angled shot across goal and only just wide of the far post.
With six minutes left, Stuart Callaghan's corner picked out Paul Deas for a fierce header that flew only a few feet wide.
The ducks on the water near Victoria Park looked miserable, but County's supporters wore broad smiles as they trudged homeward.
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