Ross County’s Scottish Cup woes continued after they suffered a 3-2 loss to Livingston after extra-time.
County twice had to pull back from a goal down, with Jordan White cancelling out Robbie Muirhead’s penalty, before Ronan Hale forced the tie into extra-time after Cristian Montano restored the Lions’ lead.
With the game looking destined for penalties, Livi substitute Andrew Shinnie struck the game’s decisive goal in the final minute of play.
It continues a dire sequence of Scottish Cup results for the Staggies in recent years, with their last victory in the competition coming in a tie against Motherwell in 2019 when they were a Championship club.
Remarkably, Livi are the fifth second-tier club to knock the Staggies out at the first hurdle since then.
‘We didn’t earn it’
Staggies boss Don Cowie could not hide his frustration at the way his side squandered another favourable draw.
Cowie said: “I’m really frustrated. We spoke about the Scottish Cup and getting a home draw against a team the level below us.
“It was an opportunity to get into the next round and we didn’t grasp it.
“We didn’t want to be in the positions we were in, but managed to get ourselves back in the game twice and that’s the invitation to go on and win the tie in extra-time or penalties.
“What you don’t do when it gets as late in the game as what it was is concede a goal so we don;t get that opportunity.
“I take full responsibility for that in terms of the fact we shouldn’t have conceded a goal so late.
“I couldn’t stress anymore than what I did, throughout the whole week, in terms of we had to earn the right to be in the next round against Livingston. We didn’t earn it.
“We had little spells and it wasn’t through a lack of effort, just that we didn’t do the right things relentlessly.
“We didn’t play the conditions and make Livingston defend enough. They did a lot of things really well and credit to them for that.”
White drafted back into Staggies side
The Staggies’ side showed just one change from the side which went down 4-1 to Celtic the previous week, with skipper Connor Randall making way for White in a show of attacking intent.
New signings Jonathan Tomkinson and Zac Ashworth started on the bench, after completing loan moves earlier in the week.
A minute’s silence for Denis Law prior to the game was impeccably observed by the majority of supporters – disappointingly aside from a pyrotechnic-laden group of youngsters in the Jail End corner.
Both sides struggled to fashion clear-cut openings in the early stages, however two half-chances fell to Stevie May from set-pieces which he was unable to get enough purchase on.
Inexplicable moment from Wright gifted Livi the lead
In the dying stages of a dull first half which looked destined to finish goalless, a moment of madness from the usually dependable Akil Wright gifted Livi the half-time lead.
A drilled free-kick from Reece McAlear posed little immediate threat to the Staggies’ rearguard, with Wright inexplicably clipping the ball with a raised arm in a duel with Cristian Montano to leave referee Chris Graham with the easiest of decisions to award a penalty.
Muirhead stepped up to send Amissah the wrong way, to give David Martindale’s men the lead.
Cowie made a half-time switch, with Jack Grieves and debutant Ashworth brought on to replace Eli Campbell and George Harmon.
Both Ashworth and Grieves looked to make an instant impression, with each of them off target with efforts in the opening minutes of the second half.
County restored parity on 56 minutes however, when Noah Chilvers’ free-kick was knocked down by Nohan Kenneh into the path of White, who steered the ball past Jerome Prior into the far corner.
Livi regained the lead within five minutes however as a Muirhead throw-in – a route which had caused County problems all afternoon – landed at the feet of Montano who was allowed to swivel inside the Staggies box before drilling low past Amissah.
The Lions came close to virtually putting the tie beyond County on 70 minutes when Daniel Finlayson nodded off the post from a Muirhead free-kick, while May curled an effort just wide.
It proved costly as the Staggies drew level again three minutes later. Grieves got in behind the Livi defence down the right flank before playing an exquisite ball across goal, where Hale applied a deadly finish – netting his first goal since November.
The sides could not be separated in 90 minutes however, with County threatening first in extra-time through Kieran Phillips, who tested Prior with a powerful low drive from the edge of the area.
In the second half, Phillips and Kacper Lopata saw efforts palmed wide by Prior.
Livi had the final say in the final minute of extra-time however, when Shinnie bundled home from close-range to prevent a penalty shoot-out.
Player Ratings
ROSS COUNTY (3-4-1-2): Amissah 6; Wright 5, Lopata 6, Campbell 5 (Grieves 46 (Telfer 105)); Brown 6, Kenneh 6 (Allardice 106), Nisbet 6 (Phillips 65), Harmon 5 (Ashworth 46); Chilvers 6; White 6 (Randall 80), Hale 6.
Subs not used: Hamilton, Tomkinson.
LIVINGSTON (4-3-3): Prior 7; Finlayson 6, McGowan 6, Wilson 6, Fraser 6; Brandon 6, McAlear 6, Pittman 6 (Winter 118); Muirhead 7, May 6 (Shinnie 106), Montano 7 (Ubochioma 106).
Subs not used: Newman, Smith, Green, Stark, Lawal.
Referee: Chris Graham
Attendance: 1,802
Man of the match: Robbie Muirhead
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