First team
Match Report | Dundee 1-2 Ross County
05/02/2022
Ross County came from behind to defeat Dundee 2-1 at Dens Park in the cinch Premiership this afternoon.
New signing Zak Rudden scored his first goal for the Dees since arriving in the January transfer window from Partick Thistle to give his side an early lead.
However, County showed great spirit to get back in the game with a goal seconds before half time from Joseph Hungbo.
The league’s top scorer Regan Charles-Cook had his second half penalty saved but he soon made amends for his miss by grabbing the winner with just 10 minutes to play.
The hosts came flying out the traps and nearly took the lead inside the first minute. New signing Niall McGinn found Paul McMullan on the edge of the area, but the winger’s shot struck the crossbar to deny him of an early opener.
Nevertheless, James McPake’s men did open the scoring in the 24th minute through January signing Zak Rudden. The former Partick Thistle man picked the ball up inside the box from Jordan McGhee’s pass before firing it into the bottom right corner to clinch his first Dundee goal and give his side an important early lead.
Jake Vokins had County’s first proper sight of goal as he used his weaker right foot to fire a shot from the centre of the box at Adam Legzdins’ goal. Unfortunately, the Dundee stopper stretched out his arm to beat the Southampton-loanee’s effort away.
However, on the stroke of half time, County grabbed an equaliser with thanks to Joseph Hungbo! The Watford-loanee was played down the line by Alex Iacvotti before driving inward and blasting the ball beyond Legzdins from a tight angle and into the left corner.
13 minutes after the restart, the Staggies were awarded a penalty kick after Cammy Kerr was adjudged to have handled the ball inside his own penalty area. It would be none other than the cinch Premiership’s top scorer Regan Charles-Cook to step up and take the penalty, but to the amazement of every at Dens Park, County’s talisman’s spot kick was saved!
Malky Mackay’s side may have thought they would live to regret that opportunity, but Charles-Cook soon avenged his penalty miss with 10 minutes to play. A defensive calamity from Dundee’s Cammy Kerr and Ryan Sweeney allowed a bouncing ball to fall at the feet of Jordan White inside the hosts’ defensive half. White then played in Charles-Cook with a first-time pass before the winger bagged his 11th cinch Premiership goal of the season by expertly dispatching the ball into the top left corner from the right of the box.
In the 85th minute, substitute Danny Mullen came close to equalising for Dundee when his sliding effort at the back post from a Paul McMullan cross crashed against the legs of the unaware Ross Laidlaw on the Ross County goal line.
Deep into added time a reckless tackle from Vontae Daley-Campbell on Harry Paton reduced the hosts to 10 men as County comfortably saw the game out to return to Dingwall with all 3 points.
