Don Cowie insists Ross County got what they deserved as they fell victim to a Premier Sports Cup shock at the hands of League Two side Spartans.
The Staggies were defeated 1-0 at Ainslie Park, courtesy of Blair Henderson’s goal just seconds after the interval.
That still left the Staggies plenty time to come up with a response but despite mounting plenty pressure, Spartans goalkeeper Jacques Heraghty was not forced into a meaningful save.
County had dealt with the group section of the competition with impressive efficiency, winning all four of their matches to earn a seeded spot in the second round.
That work has now been undone by an insipid display against their Edinburgh opponents – the lowest-ranked team in the last-16 – which ends their hopes of a cup run.
Cowie insists the outcome was no injustice on his side.
He said: “Full credit to Spartans – it’s all about them today. They thoroughly deserve to be in the next round of the cup.
“We had a lot of the ball, we dominated possession, but we didn’t do enough with it.
“The frustration is that we conceded so early after half-time. We spoke about not giving them any encouragement, but to concede within 30 seconds is really disappointing.
“We had more than enough time to bring the game back into our hands, and we didn’t do enough. We huffed and puffed.
“It’s a massive blow. I said prior to the competition, we wanted to go far in it.
“That’s why we worked so hard in the group stage, to top the group. This was a great opportunity, as a Premiership side away to a League Two team.
“We should be able to deal with that, but we have come up well short.
“We have let ourselves down. The fans have come and supported us as they always do.
“We can put that right going into the league campaign, and show them we are hurting from this.”
Cowie made changes to his starting line-up, with Noah Chilvers handed his first start since his summer move from Colchester United. There were also recalls for Jordan White, James Brown, Ryan Leak and Victor Loturi from the side which drew 1-1 with Dundee United the previous week.
Among the crowd was Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill, with Ronan Hale bound to be the focus of his attention following a fine start since his switch from Cliftonville.
It was the home side who posed the first threat, with Cameron Russell a lively presence. The winger forced Ross Laidlaw to tip the ball over inside the opening 11 minutes, before narrowly missing the target with a free-kick moments later.
Hale forced Heraghty into action for the first time with a neat shot on the turn, but Kieran Watson threatened at the other end with an acrobatic effort which drifted just wide following a corner.
County finished the first half on top, with White flagged offside after bundling an effort into the net just after the half-hour mark.
Chilvers twice called Heraghty into action, with the second effort forcing the goalkeeper to make a fine fingertip save low to his left.
Spartans made the perfect start to the second half, taking the lead inside 20 seconds of the restart when Jamie Dishington was released down the right to send in a first-time cross, which skipper Henderson met with a towering header which looped over the reach of Laidlaw.
Cowie responded to the setback by introducing Alex Samuel to form a three-pronged attack, with the Welshman taking the place of Chilvers.
County piled pressure on but the home side were close to doubling their lead on the break on 68 minutes, with Russell surging down the left before delivering for Henderson to strike at goal, but Laidlaw made a superb reaction save to divert it over.
The Staggies threw men forward as the game entered the final stages, with Eamonn Brophy, Connor Randall and Charlie Telfer off target.
The best late chance fell to Samuel in stoppage time, but he could only nod wide from James Brown’s delivery as Dougie Samuel’s Spartans side held on for a well deserved triumph.
Player Ratings
SPARTANS (4-5-1): Heraghty 7; K Watson 7, Sonkur 7, P Watson 7, Booth 7; Dishington 8 (Whittaker 86), Hunter 7, Craigen 7, Whyte 7, Russell 8; Henderson 8.
Subs not used: Carswell, Inglis, Scott, Denholm, Lamont, Wylie, Walls, Scott, Whittaker.
ROSS COUNTY (4-3-1-2): Laidlaw 6; Brown 6, Nightingale 5, Leak 6 (Grieves 80), Harmon 6; Loturi 5 (Telfer 80), Randall 6, Denholm 5 (Robesten 70); Chilvers 5 (Samuel 58); White 6 (Brophy 70), Hale 6.
Subs not used: Ross, Macleod, Reid.
Referee: Dan McFarlane
Attendance: 712
Man of the Match: Blair Henderson
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