Ross County Aims for First Away League Victory Under Tony Docherty

Will Tony Docherty secure his first away league win of the season for Ross County?

**Scottish Championship: Queen’s Park vs. Ross County**
**Location:** City Stadium, Glasgow
**Date:** Friday, 21 November
**Kick-off:** 19:45 GMT

**Coverage:** Available on BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website & app.

After an underwhelming performance from his team, Ross County manager Tony Docherty did not hold back in his criticism following their 3-0 defeat to Greenock Morton last weekend. “An unacceptable level of performance,” he stated emphatically, adding, “I have always come out and defended the players. I can’t defend that.”

Despite their struggles, County’s strikers rank sixth in the Championship for goals scored. However, the defense remains a major concern, as they possess the weakest backline in the league, having conceded 26 goals in just 15 matches.

This loss to Morton places County in a precarious position, sitting second from the bottom in the league table and facing relegation play-off prospects. Expectations were much higher for a team recently relegated from the Premiership, especially considering they were among the favorites to bounce back.

The defeat was particularly noteworthy as it marked Morton’s first away league victory against County in nearly 25 years.

Currently, Ross County finds itself in a gravity-defying situation, unable to achieve lift-off and instead scrambling in the lower ranks of the table. With ambitions of title contention, Docherty needs a significant response from the players he inherited if they hope to enter the promotion play-off mix. While their current form may suggest otherwise, a sudden string of victories could dramatically alter their trajectory. Additionally, it is anticipated that they will pursue reinforcements during the January transfer window, given the financial support from chairman Roy McGregor in previous seasons.

Conversely, Queen’s Park is facing its own challenges as their benefactor, Lord Haughey, will cease financial support by summer. The pressing question is whether they can adapt to this new reality and maintain their position in Scotland’s second tier.

Currently, they sit just a point above Ross County in the standings, having narrowly lost 4-3 to league leaders St Johnstone last weekend. However, they did secure a 2-1 victory over Raith Rovers the prior week, which ultimately led to the dismissal of Raith’s manager, Barry Robson. Despite their struggles, Queen’s Park managed to defeat County 2-1 in Dingwall back in September.

After the dramatic events at Hampden on Tuesday, the atmosphere at Lesser Hampden, also known as The City Stadium, is expected to be more subdued. Nevertheless, the stakes remain high for both teams, as they must confront the pressing need for change to avoid the looming threat of relegation.