COUNTY PUT JAGS THROUGH THE MULL
Josh grabs deserved last-gasp equaliser to earn replay and leave Inverness gutted
THEY hadn’t won El Kessocko since raining on Ross County’s cup parade – and Josh Mullin’s injury-time bullet left Inverness still unable to bridge the gap.
Caley Thistle were a few stoppagetime minutes from rediscovering the thrill of local superiority.
Seven Highland derbies without a win had passed since beating the Staggies 3-0 just six days on from their League Cup Final triumph in 2016.
A Brad Mckay strike 25 minutes from time seemed to have the 2015 Scottish Cup winners on their way to Dundee United in the quarter-finals.
Then up stepped sub Mullin to beat the offside trap and bury the coolest of finishes with the tie reset for a replay in seven days’ time.
Aaron Doran had drawn first blood for the visitors, backed by 600 fans, in a ferociously contested clash.
Ross Stewart levelled having barely stepped foot on the pitch only for Mckay to emerge as an unlikely hero midway through the second period. Or so it seemed. Although last night marked the 59th Highland derby in almost 25 years of the rivalry it was only the second time the teams had been drawn together in the Scottish Cup.
Their first meeting in December 2012 delivered a dramatic 3-3 draw in Dingwall before Caley Thistle won the home replay 2-1.
A double from Billy Mckay won that day. Just over six years on the striker – seven times a derby scorer for Inverness – was in County colours.
Even the deadening effect on the attendance of a Monday night live TV billing couldn’t dull the buzz of anticipation among those who did turn out given the prize of a last-eight place.
Michael Gardyne’s reward for springing from the bench to hit the winner at Dunfermline was to start in place of Declan McManus.
Cup-tied Callum Semple dropped out completely for the home side with January loan arrival from Preston Andy Boyle his replacement.
Caley Thistle boss John Robertson made five changes with experienced campaigners Doran, Tom Walsh, Coll Donaldson, Carl Tremarco and Mark Ridgers all fit to return.
The last meeting, just before the New Year, had ended in fireworks.
Brian Graham and Shaun Rooney were both shown red cards amid a mass set-to and flurry of fists in a 2-1 victory for County that Stewart went down as the matchwinner in.
There was none of the silly stuff as the first half took shape but plenty of grit and intent.
County, with co-manager Stuart Kettlewell starting a three-match touchline ban, made the first inroads with Billy Mckay cracking an 18-yard shot just over.
Gardyne looked in the mood and with eight minutes gone he left Brad Mckay for dead on the left only for the threat to be snuffed out by a Sean Welsh sliding challenge. From
Gardyne’s corner Jamie Lindsay had a terrific chance, finding himself free at the back of the box but knocking his shot wide of the near post.
For all the early pressure it was Caley Thistle who surged ahead in 13 minutes – despite Joe Chalmers’s free-kick after a Ross Draper handball being cleared.
When Tremarco nodded inside from the left, Doran controlled and struck with venom on the turn from 20 yards, beating keeper Scott Fox at his near post.
More attacking forays from Gardyne were resisted but it took a terrific Ridgers save to thwart the energetic wideman on the half hour.
Kenny van der Weg’s diagonal ball into the box was cushioned by Graham into the path of Gardyne who slid a shot towards the left-hand corner that Ridgers threw himself across goal to tip wide.
Caley Thistle were composed on the ball and always a threat with fit-again Walsh firing in a powerful shot Fox stretched to reach before smothering. A piercing Doran pass
sent Walsh in again soon after but Fox raced out to block at his feet.
There was one more close call for Caley Thistle before the break with Tremarco’s chipped cross finding Walsh who hammered a shot into the ground and up and over the bar.
Just five minutes into the second period Tremarco’s thunderous 25-yard drive left Fox to block with his legs.
County made a 54th-minute switch with striker Graham removed for former St Mirren frontman Stewart.
And Stewart’s impact was not just swift but stunning. Within a minute a third wave of County attacks culminated in a terrific Gardyne cross
from the left that found the 22-yearold arriving to rattle in on the volley.
County looked ready to go for the kill but Caley Thistle were back in front 10 minutes later from a Liam Polworth corner.
The midfielder’s delivery soared all the way over a packed six-yard box to the feet of unmarked defender Brad Mckay who finished from four yards.
A mix-up between Marcus Fraser and Lindsay let Walsh race free but Fox’s fingertips spared County.
And despite Ridgers brilliantly denying McManus, Mullin’s moment soon came as he raced on to a Billy Mckay ball to force a rematch.