Ross County 0 - 1 Dundee

Published on Thursday 21 April 2011 13:41

Ross County 0 Dundee 1 McIntosh 65

A GOALKEEPING error ensured Dundee completed the long journey to First Division safety after last October's 25-point punishment.

The Dens club could be heading for the title and SPL status were it not for the penalty imposed for sliding into administration, but they had cause enough to celebrate Leighton McIntosh's winner.

For the Highland hosts, Michael McGovern's careless touch after 65 minutes proved costly.

After a studied start, Andy Barrowman's looping header was clutched high by Dundee's Rab Douglas after 24 minutes.

The Dark Blues – wearing red-and-white – threatened two minutes later, with a piercing long through ball by Matt Lockwood splitting the County defence.

Craig Forsyth was able to feed McIntosh in the box, but the young striker stabbed wide. Nicky Riley also powered a strike just over the bar as the Dens men warmed up.

Into the second half, Dundee's Gary Harkins flashed a free-kick just over the bar.

But County went agonisingly close to the opener after 51 minutes when Steven Milne's left foot volley from 18 yards crashed off the under-side and bounced on the line.

Disaster struck the Dingwall side after 65 minutes – with a terrible mistake by keeper Michael McGovern. Defender Scott Boyd played a long back-pass and while McGovern seemed to have plenty of time, he miscontrolled.

McIntosh simply nicked it off his toes and slipped it into the empty net.

County laid siege to the Dundee goal to no avail in the remainder of another frustrating day.

• Ross County last night forced a Scottish Football League re-think on the twice-abandoned trip to Queen of the South by threatening to throw the remainder of the First Division campaign into chaos.

The relegation-threatened Ding-wall club were furious when the floodlights failed for a second time in Dumfries last Tuesday, just as they had in February.

County initially demanded three points be awarded after again making the 12-hour round trip in vain, but this was rejected at Thursday's SFL board meeting.

After seeking legal advice, County chairman Roy MacGregor was ready to throw the remaining league programme into disarray by using County's right of appeal not once, but twice – forcing an SFL emergency general meeting in 21 days' time.

The SFL last night appeared to have backed down and accepted the game be replayed not in Dumfries but at a neutral venue this Tuesday. The likely stadium will be Stirling Albion's Forthbank.

MacGregor said last night: "They asked Queens could they guarantee the lights wouldn't go out again and they couldn't."