Liam Boyce continued his rich vein of recent goalscoring form with a sensational 10-minute hat-trick in the first-half to help send the Staggies safely past Falkirk and into the League Cup quarter-finals.
Boyce set County well on their way with three fine finishes towards the end of the first-half, with the tie virtually over by half-time.
The Staggies emphatically secured their progress in the second-half thanks to goals from Rafa De Vita and Jonathan Franks, before Brian Graham and substitute Darren Holden netted their first strikes for the club since joining in the summer to compound a miserable night for the visitors.
County manager Jim McIntyre made three changes to the side that defeated Partick 1-0 on Saturday, a result that kept the momentum going despite the Staggies being far from their best.
In came Richard Foster, Stewart Murdoch and Jonathan Franks, in place of Marcus Fraser, Martin Woods and Michael Gardyne, who played through a sickness bug at the weekend.
Championship side Falkirk arrived in Dingwall looking to spring another upset, having defeated Premiership outfit Partick 1-0 in the previous round, but were searching for their first win at Victoria Park since a 1-0 success in August 2010, when both sides were in the First Division.
The Bairns have made a fine start to the Championship campaign, winning four of their opening six league matches and sitting second behind leaders Rangers. In Peter Houston, they had a manager looking to add to his impressive cup pedigree, having led Dundee United to a 3-0 Scottish Cup final victory against County five years ago, before taking the Bairns to the final of last year’s competition, where they were defeated 2-1 by Caley Thistle.
County netted just two minutes into their 2-0 victory against Ayr United in the previous round, and they were keen to hit the front foot once again. They came close in the early stages when Jackson Irvine headed over, before the Australian teed up Brian Graham to send a shot narrowly over the top moments later.
Falkirk were keen to prove their mettle however, and came close through Luke Leahy’s free-kick which drifted just over, before County defender Chris Robertson was forced to hack Will Vaulks’ dangerous low cross behind.
Despite a decent start by the Bairns, the hosts’ grip of the game increased as the half wore on, and when their lead came on the half hour mark it was well deserved. Top scorer Boyce’s headed goal proved the difference on Saturday, and he struck once again with a virtually symmetrical goal. This time the cross came from the right flank courtesy of Foster’s cross, with Boyce rising tall to send a firm header past goalkeeper Danny Rogers from 10 yards.
County gave themselves some breathing space with a second goal just five minutes later, with Boyce’s predatory instincts again coming to the fore. A Franks corner had led to the first goal, and it was another that provided the assist for the second, from which Irvine’s header landed kindly at the feet of Boyce, who sent a tidy backheeled finish past Rogers into the bottom corner.
Boyce completed his hat-trick just five minutes later, again getting on the end of a Foster cross to nod home at the far post. A sensational 10-minute contribution, making it nine goals in as many starts this season.
Having finished the first-half in style, County picked up from where they left off after the break by adding a fourth, as De Vita was sent down the inside left channel by Graham, with the Italian sending a low drive across goal into the far corner, with the aid of a touch from on-loan Aberdeen goalkeeper Rogers.
The Highlanders hit Falkirk with a further two goals in the space of three minutes. The fifth came from a neat move down the left, with Boyce playing in De Vita, who in turn squared the ball to Franks who sidefooted a cushioned finish into the corner.
Graham got in on the scoring act on 58 minutes, with his first goal since his summer move from Dundee United, bulleting a header home from Murdoch’s delivery from the right.
Holden netted a fine seventh with nine minutes left, angling a volley past Rogers from another Murdoch cross to complete the scoring.