Ross County Rising to the challenge

When the Challenge Cup quarter-final draw was made there might have been a few who thought Ross County’s trip to play Motherwell’s under-21 side would be an easy one. But it was arguably County’s biggest challenge in the tournament to date. Stephen Craigan’s young team put on a show of strength and resilience that makes me wonder how they’d fare in the senior leagues. It was a mad few minutes in the second half that decided the game, with Motherwell getting a harsh red card that gave County an advantage just as the Steelmen had equalised. With County’s first team having something of an injury crisis, it was reassuring to see fringe players like Ross Stewart and Tom Grivosti rise to the occasion to see the team into the semis.