Ross County fans were singing in the rain on Sunday as they watched their side secure their top-flight status in style with a 6-1 aggregate victory over Raith Rovers. The 2-1 victory in the first leg at Stark’s Park was the first time County had won outside of Dingwall since 2 September. The Staggies controlled the majority of the match and looked a class above Rovers all over the park.
When Jack Baldwin headed them into a 2-0 lead, it felt like they were cruising towards survival; a far cry from the first leg of last season’s play-off final. However, the game turned on its head when Sam Stanton halved the deficit. Rovers piled the pressure on for the remainder of the match, but County ground out a 2-1 victory to send the 500 traveling fans back up the A9 happy.
On Sunday, it felt like the first goal was going to be crucial in the return leg. Thankfully, Simon Murray put County firmly in control with his 19th-minute header. It relieved a lot of tension among the home fans and gave them hope that they would survive another season in Scotland’s top tier. Murray and his strike partner Jordan White were both outstanding on Sunday, their link-up play and movement caused all sorts of problems for Rovers defense. White’s goal just after half-time was almost a carbon copy of Baldwin’s as he outmuscled everyone and bulleted home a header to make it 2-0. Following some smart combination play with White, Murray picked up
