Spittal at the double as County frighten Hearts
But Kingsley pounces for a draw in Dingwall
BLAIR SPITTAL only lasted 56 minutes of what was an absorbing skirmish fought out in the traditional Highland way with no quarter given or asked for.
But that was long enough for the County captain to make a huge impression before departing the scene early in the second half due to an injury.
Not only did he score both County goals, Spittal led by example as the Staggies locked horns with a Hearts team that remains unbeaten after six Premiership matches.
In the end, all that was missing to make County’s day was an elusive first win, but they may not have to wait too much longer to achieve their objective. On the evidence of what was witnessed at the Global Energy Stadium, there is much for Malky Mackay to feel pleased about.
Having carried out a complete overhaul of his squad, the Staggies boss rightly cautioned against unrealistic expectations of instant success.
But there are clear and positives signs that the various bits of his jigsaw are starting to fit together.
There is no lack of fighting spirit, either, a quality not lacking in Mackay’s own game as a player with Celtic.
The contrasting fortunes of these sides could hardly have been greater, given that Hearts arrived in Dingwall boasting a record of three wins and two draws while County had garnered just two points.
As a consequence, Hearts sit in third spot, eight places higher than County, but that does not offer an altogether accurate assessment of the teams.
While Hearts have surpassed all reasonable expectations after returning to the top flight after a season spent in the Championship, County give the distinct impression of being a potentially exciting work in progress.
The Paton brothers — Ben and Harry — have certainly caught the eye and it was the latter who made an immediate impression with a forceful run through the Hearts defence before being crowded out.
An uncharacteristically sloppy attempted clearance by Craig Gordon afforded Ross Callachan an opening after seven minutes, but the Scotland goalkeeper redeemed himself by making a save.
Play switched quickly to the other end and Gary Mackay-Steven took full advantage of the space that opened up for him when he fed a through pass to Liam Boyce in the ninth minute.
The Northern Ireland international, who cemented his reputation during his time with County, rarely wastes such opportunities and Ash Maynard-Brewer had to pick the ball out of his net after being beaten by a left-foot shot from the centre of the penalty box.
Any sense of dread on the part of the locals was quickly dispelled when County levelled the score just a minute later.
Jordan White, spotting Spittal within shooting range, laid the ball off to his skipper, who did the rest with a shot from 20 yards.
The equaliser immediately lifted the County players’ spirits, but Hearts were undeterred and continued to pose a potent threat.
Mackay-Steven, Barrie McKay, Armand Gnanduillet and Taylor Moore took it in turns to pressurise the home defence.
But it was County who passed up a glaring chance to take the lead after 36 minutes after Callachan and Spittal had combined to lay the ball on a plate for White whose head was swathed in a bandage as a consequence of an earlier knock.
Perhaps the injury had affected his vision and judgment because he was unable to make any contact whatsoever with the ball as the goal yawned open in front of his eyes.
Callachan followed up shortly afterwards with a volley from a Jack Burroughs cross to offer Hearts a reminder that they must remain prudent at all times. Clearly, the warning went unheeded.
Spittal’s second goal on the stroke of half-time was set up by Regan Charles-Cook’s nifty footwork, but the Hearts defending, or rather lack of it, left much to be desired when the ball found its way into the net through several bodies.
The second half lacked the pace and commitment of the first 45 minutes, but it had its moments.
Had Callachan claimed a third County goal three minutes after the restart instead of hitting the sidenetting with his effort, who knows what the outcome would have been.
But it was no great surprise when Hearts equalised midway through the second period and then very nearly retook the lead one minute later.
Stephen Kingsley’s beautifully crafted free-kick goal in the 66th minute after Ben Paton had earned a caution for a heavy challenge on Boyce was immediately followed by further drama.
Having made a speedy recovery, Boyce rose at the back post to connect with Moore’s cross but was agonisingly wide of the target from six yards.
County also had chances to snatch a dramatic victory, most notably when substitute Joseph Hungbo had a shot cleared off the line by John Souttar in stoppage time.