The luck of the draw did not shine on Ross County this week, with the Staggies handed the toughest possible League Cup last four tie in the shape of holders Celtic.
Ronny Deila’s side still linger fresh in the Staggies’ memory, after they crushed the Dingwall men 4-1 on Premiership duty on Sunday. From reading the scoreline alone it can be deduced that a vastly improved showing will be required, if Jim McIntyre’s side is to realise its dream of cup glory.
Looking back at the game in more detail, however, the Highlanders have reason to believe they can make a far better game of it if they sharpen up in a couple of key areas.
County had no problem creating chances against the Hoops, but it was the conversion which let them down. Leading scorer Liam Boyce should have hit the target with a free header when it was still 0-0, while Martin Woods, Ian McShane and Jackson Irvine also found gaping holes in the Hoops’ rearguard, only to be thwarted by goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
The Scotland international is a tough obstacle to overcome between the sticks, but the defensive line sitting in front of him continues to look far from convincing. While County were not constantly on the attack, any time they did break forward there looked to be a decent chance of them scoring, owing much to the defensive instability which defies the Hoops’ superiority over the rest of the league.
The Hoops are six points ahead at the top of the table, and have shown they have the firepower to blow teams away, with Leigh Griffiths storming to the top of the scoring charts with 13 league goals.
The Parkhead club’s defensive performances do not tell the same story of domination, though. In 14 league games, they have kept six clean sheets, which is one less than second-placed Hearts and the same as Aberdeen in third.
While it’s unlikely to cost them the title, it’s a weakness which can be exploited in any given match – especially in a one-off cup-tie the Staggies will see as the major test they will need to overcome in order to go all the way.
That said, there is no underplaying how difficult a tie this is for County. Even if they do find the killer touch at Hampden, they could still find themselves on the back foot at the click of a finger, as Griffiths’ double in the space of a minute highlighted.
Celtic are the only opposition against which McIntyre has deviated from his preferred 4-4-2 formation this season, having sacrificed an attacker in favour of an extra man in midfield for both encounters.
The plan of keeping Celtic at bay was working, as Deila’s side had been restricted to a succession of long-range attempts which had all failed to hit the target, but that changed when Tom Rogic lined up the 25-yard strike that brought the opener.
It was a sure sign that even when faced with measures designed to thwart them, Celtic still have the quality to break through.
The most famous result in County’s history came five years ago, when Derek Adams’ side – then in the First Division – overcame a defensively lacklustre Celtic with a 2-0 victory at Hampden.
McIntyre will send his side out with the task of recreating the class of 2010’s heroics – and he will not let Sunday’s result stub his belief they can do it.