Coyle’s County easily punctured by Thistle
AS they sift through the wreckage of a run of results which has now left them slumped at the bottom of the table, any Ross County player who feels even the slightest ounce of selfpity would be well advised to seek an immediate change of career.
It’s not so much a case of sorry being the hardest word as the most heinously ill-advised inside the County dressing room at present. Their boss made that abundantly clear at Firhill yesterday.
Captain Andrew Davies set the wheels in motion for this defeat to Partick Thistle with a ruinous error and the result now ensures County will head into the winter break without a victory in nine games.
Plainly, the new-manager bounce they enjoyed with Coyle’s arrival in September has now fallen flat on its face and, typically, major surgery is planned in the January window.
‘The second half was nowhere near good enough,’ admitted the County boss. ‘We got a reaction when I arrived at the club but, whether we have regressed since then, I don’t know.
‘If you want to just sit and feel sorry for yourself, then, I’m sorry, but you are in the wrong game. I have said that to the players.
‘We’ll be looking to get the right type of player into the club in January. You should be leaving everything on the pitch, and, in this game, I don’t believe all the players did that.’
Sean Kelly thought he had given County the lead on 11 minutes. Latching on to a flick-on from Davies, the left wing-back thumped the ball home, only to see it ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
There wasn’t a great deal to separate the teams in the first half. Both lacked any creativity and, for both, attempts to prey upon opposition mistakes were as fruitful as anything they could muster under their own steam.
Step forward Davies, then, with a catastrophic error on 34 minutes — and the kind which Kris Doolan has spent a career punishing.
There was no obvious danger until Davies fluffed a backpass to Scott Fox. It never looked likely to reach the County keeper and eventually fell a good five yards short.
By that point, Doolan had pounced. He nipped in ahead of Fox, poked the ball round the stranded keeper, and duly rolled it into the empty net. Thistle fans rejoiced in taunts aimed at former player Fox, but it was Davies who had well and truly sold the jerseys.
Just to compound his misery, Davies then blew a glorious chance to atone for his error five minutes later. Completely unmarked, he shanked a header wide of goal from six yards from Michael Gardyne’s driven corner-kick.
At 31, Doolan is eight years the senior of Miles Storey. But his work-rate yesterday put his younger strike partner to shame, with Storey eventually being taken off due to injury after just 25 minutes.
He was replaced by Conor Sammon, who, along with young Andy McCarthy in midfield, was one of two players who made a huge impact off the bench for Thistle.
By contrast, County’s subs failed to alter the flow of proceedings in a second half which, justifiably, Coyle lamented as wholly unacceptable.
Sammon could have wrapped things up as early as the 52nd minute. Chasing a lofted Blair Spittal pass, the big striker outmuscled Marcus Fraser and shot low across Fox, with the rebound evading the onrushing Doolan.
A fine through ball from McCarthy then split County open on 69 minutes and released Sammon. His shot was low and powerful, but straight at the legs of Fox.
Davies was having a nightmare and yet another error let Doolan in on 77 minutes. Unlike previously, though, the Jags striker couldn’t capitalise, clipping a swerving, leftfoot shot just wide of the target.
County barely threatened. Jamie Lindsay headed straight into the arms of Tomas Cerny in what was essentially their best chance, so they could have no complaints when Thistle put the matter beyond doubt on 86 minutes.
One sub set up another sub; McCarthy’s scything through ball taking out three County players to set Sammon haring away down the left.
Davies looked like he was toeing a caravan as he gave chase to the big Irishman. Sharp and decisive, Sammon cut inside past Chris Routis and buried a clinical finish into the far corner to secure a third straight home victory for the Jags.
‘It is a huge psychological boost to get off the bottom of the table and we can now head to Spain for a winter break with real positivity because we are on a good run at home,’ said boss Alan Archibald.