Staggies show steel as they battle back to salvage a point

JUST when it seemed that 10-man Ross County’s mini revival was about to grind to a halt, up popped Jack Baldwin to prove that he doesn’t just wear the captain’s armband, he also leads from the front by example.

With referee Greg Aitken poised to blow for full-time, Baldwin snatched a potentially precious point from the jaws of defeat with more than a little help from dead-ball specialist Joseph Hungbo.

The substitute’s free-kick in the third minute of stoppage time looked to be net-bound, but Baldwin wasn’t taking any chances and stuck out a foot to guide the ball over the line.

It was a sickening late blow for the United players who must have been imagining climbing above Celtic into third spot in the Premiership by that stage in the game.

In the event, they remain in fourth place after just one win in five, while County have taken seven points from their last four matches.

Contrast that with a 10-match winless run that yielded just three points and had the critics writing off the Staggies’ survival prospects with the stroke of a pen — and it says much about the spirit Malky Mackay has instilled in his players since taking charge in the summer.

Lesser beings might well have thrown in the towel when Arsenal loanee Harry Clarke earned a second yellow card after 75 minutes, for a heavy challenge on Ian Harkes, and the home side found themselves reduced to 10 men.

But the Staggies have steel in their antlers and are clearly prepared to lock horns with all comers.

Two months on from the racism row that overshadowed United’s single-goal win at Tannadice, the sides resumed hostilities on a bitterly cold afternoon in the Highlands without there appearing to be any lingering animosity.

Indeed, there was very little to excite the crowd prior to Florent Hoti producing the first shot of the match after 20 minutes which was blocked and then gathered by Ash Maynard-Brewer.

County, fresh from their first home win of the season — a victory over Premier Sports Cup finalists Hibs in midweek, were a shade sharper and more direct, ready to pounce and punish any slack defending.

Connor Randall and Regan CharlesCook posed the biggest threat with their slick combination play and after the latter had attempted to wear his way through a largely tight knit back-four, County very nearly took the lead.

Blair Spittal’s free-kick from the right dropped perfectly for Baldwin to power in a header that cannoned off the near post. The ball rebounded for Harry Paton to have a crack and the midfielder forced Ryan Edwards to make a goal-line clearance.

The County players gave the distinct impression that they have developed a new-found confidence. But that confidence was dented four minutes after the restart when United grabbed the lead.

Peter Pawlett and Ilmari Niskanen combined to create an opening for Louis Appere and the striker delivered with a left-foot shot from close range following a partial scramble.

The goal was more than United’s general play warranted and it had a temporarily deflating effect on the opposition.

But County duly regrouped and Siegrist had to block an effort from Spittal before then making a save from Baldwin after the defender had headed against the crossbar prior to the captain’s late-late strike.

Mackay said: ‘I felt a point was the least we deserved. A neutral here today would have seen a team that went at it from the first whistle.

‘I thought we were great in the first half when we had three chances where we should have scored.

‘We looked as if we were the team that wanted to attack and win the game and I asked them to go out and do the same in the second half.

‘But we gave a slack goal away in the first few minutes, although after that it looked like there was only one team wanting to add to the scoring the way we probed and pressed.’

Counterpart Tam Courts said: ‘’We expected a tight, physical game and that’s how it transpired, although it probably wasn’t high on quality.

‘We’ve had a few 1-0 victories this year and normally the players can see it through, but it’s always precarious.’