THE PATIENT PREDATOR
Erwin puts his troubles behind him as he seals last-gasp win with first County goal
LEE ERWIN endured months of discomfort during a deeply unhappy spell with Tractor Sazi in Iran last year.
He then came through another deeply frustrating 12 weeks on the sidelines at Ross County after injuring his ankle.
Two minutes of stoppage time here were hardly going to faze the 25-year-old frontman after those long and weary experiences.
The former Motherwell and Leeds United striker remained the calmest individual within the Global Energy Stadium as his last-gasp strike rattled off the crossbar and looked to have crossed the line.
While everyone else froze, Erwin reacted swiftly to sidefoot home the rebound and secure back-to-back wins for Ross County, as well as his first goal for the club.
A key summer signing for County, he now hopes fierce competition among the club’s strikers can fire him to new heights.
The Staggies were forced to use all four of their frontmen in this vital win, with Erwin last on the field before having the final say.
‘It feels very satisfying. You can’t beat a last-minute winner,’ he said. ‘We deserved the three points, especially on our second-half performance when we were pressurising them a lot.
‘Luckily, my shot went in. I had two previous chances and just needed to keep chipping away.
‘It’s an important goal for me. It has been a slow start and it’s nice to score but the main thing is Ross County securing back-to-back wins.
‘Since the injury, I have had to be patient. There’s good competition for places in my position and that drives you on.
‘We are all scoring goals, which is beneficial to the team. You’ve just got to keep working hard and take your chance when it comes.’
Erwin insisted there was huge satisfaction to be taken by County, particularly after criticism of their recent loss of goals.
‘All credit goes to the defence for keeping a clean sheet and giving us the platform to go on and get a winner,’ he said.
‘It’s another big result after a nine-game spell without a win. Everyone was criticising us. But we turned it around by beating Hibs and carrying it on this weekend.’
Erwin’s winner owed much to his awareness, as well as calm finishing.
The initial strike from the edge of the box rattled off the crossbar and bounced on the line. While everyone else in the stadium wondered if it was over, Erwin reacted first to net from 12 yards.
He added: ‘I thought my first shot was in. I couldn’t have hit it any better but I just reacted to the follow-up and luckily got there before any of the defenders.’
Both sides had chances throughout the 90 minutes but it was County who tested the goalkeeper far more frequently.
The Staggies looked buoyed by their victory over Hibs ten days previously and piled on the pressure before the break without reward.
There was an incredible close call for Kilmarnock, however, after 74 minutes.
Eamonn Brophy managed to reclaim the ball on the left of the County penalty area and his instant cross found Connor Johnson, who headed just over the crossbar from five yards.
County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell was thrilled with Erwin’s match-winning contribution from the bench.
‘It was a big moment for Lee,’ he said. ‘We know his quality and it has just been a case of getting him up to match sharpness.
‘The original strike is unbelievable. Then it was just that striker’s instinct with the composed finish.
‘It is great to piece together two wins in this difficult league.’