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Ross County lay the marker down for Championship title

15/09/18 LADBROKES CHAMPIONSHIP 
 QOTS v ROSS COUNTY (0-0) 
 PALMERSTON PARK - DUMFRIES 
 Ross County's Liam Fontaine (right) holds off QOTS' Kyle Jacobs
15/09/18 LADBROKES CHAMPIONSHIP QOTS v ROSS COUNTY (0-0) PALMERSTON PARK - DUMFRIES Ross County's Liam Fontaine (right) holds off QOTS' Kyle Jacobs

A hallmark of good sides is to pick up points when they are far from their best, and Ross County showed why they are among the favourites for the Championship title on Saturday.

The Staggies never reached top gear against Queen of the South but stopped the league’s highest scorers from getting on the scoresheet and left Dumfries with a hard-earned point that could be valuable come the end of the season.

The stalemate came as something of a surprise given the firepower possessed by both teams.

County had hit five without reply against Raith Rovers the previous week, while Queens striker Stephen Dobbie is the in-form forward in Scotland, having already netted 20 goals in 11 games this season.

Saturday ended a six-game scoring spree for the 35-year-old, although he was a lick of paint away from making it seven in a row when he smashed the crossbar in the first half.

Ross County were already crowned Division One champions when they last visited Palmerston in 2012 and ran out 5-3 winners in an entertaining tussle on the final day of the season.

Unfortunately there was no repeat for the Ross County supporters who made the 490-mile round trip from Dingwall to Dumfries at the weekend.

The Staggies, who made five changes from their Irn-Bru Cup success against Raith, lined up in an attack-minded 3-5-2 formation with Ross Draper deployed as a makeshift central defender alongside Callum Morris and Liam Fontaine.

Despite having only two recognised defenders in their starting XI and Michael Gardyne and Josh Mullin pushing on as wing backs, the visitors struggled to create opportunities in a lacklustre first half.

Aside from Dobbie’s attempt that cannoned back off the crossbar, the two best chances of the opening period fell to Lyndon Dykes but County goalkeeper Scott Fox came to the rescue on both occasions.

Declan McManus had the ball in the back of the Queen of the South net in first-half injury time but the goal was chalked off for a marginal but correct offside decision.

Ross County were more expansive after the break and Gardyne could have opened the scoring but headed over from close range on the hour mark.

Dobbie was desperate to add to his goal tally and went close with a deflected free kick that was hacked clear by Draper, County’s best player on the day.

County kept pushing for the winner, with Billy Mckay and Ross Stewart both sent on in the closing stages, but there was no way past a well-organised Queens defence.

The result leaves Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ferguson’s men a point behind Championship leaders Caley Thistle, who added to the pressure on Partick manager Alan Archibald with a 3-2 victory in Inverness. The sides meet in Dingwall on Saturday in an intriguing Highland derby.

County will start as favourites but they will know a repeat performance could leave them four points adrift and hand the early initiative to Caley Thistle.