Ross County move off the foot of the Premiership table with win over Dundee

Celtic v Ross County – cinch Premiership – Celtic Park
(Image credit: jeffholmes, Jeff Holmes)

Ross County picked up their second win over Dundee this season in an enthralling contest in Dingwall which they edged 3-2.

The visitors took the lead twice through Luke McCowan’s goals either side of Dominic Samuel’s equaliser, but the Staggies came back into it after half-time.

A Danny Mullen own goal levelled things up for a second time, before Regan Charles-Cook popped up with an all-important winner with 12 minutes left to play.

Dundee suffered an early blow, losing their captain Charlie Adam to injury in the 13th minute.

They did not let that disrupt them too much, though, taking the lead two minutes later when Liam Fontaine headed Paul McMullan’s free-kick into the path of McCowan, who sweetly finished at the near post.

It looked as though County’s best chance of scoring would be on the counter attack, with their visitors looking fairly slick in possession, and Harry Paton managed to break forward – giving the ball to Charles-Cook who picked out Samuel in the middle, with him finishing at the second time of asking.

McCowan would get his, and Dundee’s, second of the afternoon before half-time, though, picking out the same corner after good work from Jordan Marshall down the left.

McCowan was presented with a chance to claim his hat-trick after the break, latching on to Jack Baldwin’s attempted pass across his own defence, but a strong hand from Ashley Maynard-Brewer prevented Dundee from opening up a two-goal advantage.

County equalised in the 64th minute as Joseph Hungbo’s corner was turned in at the back post after Adam Legzdins made a meal of collecting it in.

McCowan very nearly turned provider as the last 15 minutes approached, putting a low cross into a dangerous area only to see Mullen hit a post.

Both sides went in search of a winner late on, and Harry Clarke thought he had delivered just that before his header was cleared off the line by Ryan Sweeney.

County would take the lead for the first time with 12 minutes left on the clock, though, as Charles-Cook capitalised on a loose ball inside the Dundee box as Jordan White was claiming for a penalty, to convert.

That was the final goal of the afternoon, as County took three points that saw them off the bottom of the Premiership for the first time since October.