County stagger towards the title
Fantastic Fox thwarts Anderson’s late effort as Jags slip to bottom
SCOTT FOX produced an outstanding save to deny Steven Anderson a late winner for Partick Thistle as Ross County took another faltering step towards a return to the Premiership.
Depending on Dundee United’s results, the Staggies require four points from their remaining three matches to clinch automatic promotion.
But they once again lacked the sparkle and pizzazz of potential champions and were tentative and edgy rather than masterful and dominant.
Indeed, it was the Jags who showed a more purposeful spirit of adventure in the face of their opponents’ general lethargy.
It appears that the demands of the campaign are catching up with the team from Dingwall as the management duo of Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson do their best to cope with injuries to key players.
Thistle, meanwhile, are locked in a fight for survival after dropping into bottom spot as a result of Falkirk’s win at Dunfermline.
But with a match in hand over their rivals and the heart for a scrap, Gary Caldwell is confident his Jags will eventually get the job done.
He said: ‘Our performance was excellent. We just needed to be a bit more clinical in the final third.
‘But the boys executed our plan really well and I’ve no worries for the next four games. I believe in these players that they can go and get the points we need.
‘Ross County are top of the league and we outplayed them for large spells. Now, if we win every game, we stay in this league, it’s as simple as that.’
For all that they enjoyed two-thirds of possession, County took 37 minutes to conjure up their first attempt at goal. Thistle, on the other hand, had by then produced three opportunities.
Shea Gordon took advantage of slack marking in the 17th minute to force Fox into making a save but no one followed up to pressurise the County goalkeeper.
Scott McDonald should certainly have done a little better than shoot wide after half an hour when County were again caught on the back foot.
But it was Blair Spittal’s tricky footwork rather than dodgy defending that worried County next. Spittal was unable to add a polished finish after drifting past three defenders, dragging his shot wide.
It was a rare moment of skill in a sea of mediocrity and probably deserving of greater reward, for initiative if nothing else.
Michael Gardyne’s effort at relieving the tedium with County’s first attempt on goal was in no way comparable, his speculative attempt flashing high and wide.
Sean Kelly’s free-kick from 25 yards was not a whole lot better and when Andrew Boyle was forced to whip the ball off Kris Doolan’s right foot as the striker prepared to pull the trigger, County were forced to take stock of their performance.
But Ross Stewart took it upon himself to inject some accuracy into the finishing on the stroke of half-time when he tested Jamie Sneddon with a well-struck shot from 30 yards.
The second half was hardly any more pleasing on the eye than the first had been, and when County argued for a penalty kick when Stewart went down following a challenge by Anderson the referee was quick to dismiss the claim.
Then, with seven minutes left, Fox blocked Anderson’s effort from close range to move County a step nearer to the top flight.
Afterwards, Ferguson admitted that the Staggies had looked jaded. ‘We looked a wee bit tired, a bit fatigued and leggy, and that’s understandable given the run of games we’ve had,’ he explained.
‘We had to dig deep and work hard for that point.’