Ross County Announce Management Shake-Up Following Relegation
Ross County have confirmed a significant restructuring of their football management team following their relegation from the Scottish Premiership, vowing to make an immediate return to top-flight football their top priority. The Dingwall club, who dropped to the Championship after a disappointing play-off defeat to Livingston last week, released a statement acknowledging the frustration and disappointment felt across the club and its fanbase. “Last week’s result against Livingston – resulting in us playing in the Championship next season – has left everyone at the club, personally and collectively, hugely disappointed. We know how much playing Premiership football matters to our community, and we share their deep frustration at how the season concluded. As you might imagine, we have done a lot of soul searching at the club over the last week, and following that, have decided to restructure our football management team under Don Cowie as we make gaining immediate promotion our sole focus. We believe strongly that we have a dedicated and talented manager in Don and that he is the right man to lead us for the season ahead. To support Don, we have appointed the experienced John Robertson as assistant manager with immediate effect. Carl Tremarco and Paul Cowie will leave the club, and we thank them for their efforts and wish them well for the future. John has more than 400 games under his belt as a manager, knows the challenge of recruiting from our base in the Highlands, has experience of the Scottish Championship, and has worked with Don in the past. He already knows the club well and has spent much of last season watching from the sidelines in his role as a BBC pundit. “Everyone at the club is determined to put us in the best position possible to gain promotion back into the Premiership – and to do so within a season. Bringing John in to support Don, will allow us to reshape the playing squad and turn things around as quickly as possible” said Chief Executive Officer Steven Ferguson.”
Livi seal immediate return to Premiership as County go down
Ross County (3) 2 – 4 (5) Livingston Livingston produced a remarkable turnaround to seal promotion to the top flight as Ross County failed to survive the play-offs in their third consecutive finals. Tete Yengi’s stoppage time goal sparked jubilation as David Martindale joined the away end in storming the pitch as County were left to rue their drop. Livingston had it all to do, going down after just seven minutes. Having produced the equaliser in the first-leg, Ronan Hale was at hand to tee up Josh Nisbet for the opener. Hale would be in again, this time slotting past Jérôme Prior after Livingston fluffed an opportunity to clear the ball outside the penalty area. Martindale’s side were able to pull one back just a few minutes before the break as Lewis Smith did well to escape County’s attention and produce a culture finish. Drawing the side level was Scotland international Danny Wilson, who was quickest to the punch after Jordan Amissah saved Robbie Muirhead’s free-kick. It was then Muirhead’s brilliant finish which sealed the side’s comeback from two goals down, the forward making the most of a difficult angle to curl his effort past Jordan Amissah. Line-ups: Ross County: Amissah, Campbell, Wright, Nightingale (Phillips 81), Efete (Samuel 67), Randall, Kenneh, Nisbet, Harmon (Ashworth 54), Hale, White Unused subs: Ross, Tomkinson, Ashworth, Smith, Robesten, Williamson, Coyle. Booked: Nightingale Goals: Nisbet (7), Hale (24) Livingston: Prior, Brandon, McGowan, Wilson, Fraser, Kelly (Tait 85), Finlayson, Pittman, Smith (Nottingham 85), Muirhead (May 77), Montano (Yengi 72) Unused subs: Hamilton, Donnellan, McAlear, Shinnie, Lawal. Booked: McGowan, Finlayson Goals: Smith (39), Wilson (57), Muirhead (61), Yengi (96)
Late penalty drama sees County snatch draw in Livingston
Livingston 1 – 1 Ross County A Ronan Hale penalty at the death saw Ross County earn a crucial draw in the play-off final first-leg which saw a member of the away staff spat at by a home fan following full time. Making no mistake from the spot, Hale dispatched the equaliser in the 96th minute after VAR had spotted Danny Wilson pulling on Jordan White’s shirt in the box. Prior to his late mistake, the defender had steadied the ship at the back before his opener rocked the County boat with just a minute to go before the break. Blasting home Smith’s corner after it had pin-balled in the six yard area. In control of possession in the first half, County would also have the opening chance of the evening as Will Nightingale’s low header from Ronan Hale fizzing corner was excellently saved by Jerome Prior. However it was Livingston who would have the lion’s share of the opportunities, Robbie Muirhead letting the fruits of his side’s counter-attacking work spoil despite finding himself free at the back post. With the end of the half fast approaching, Cristian Montaño would similarly spurn a good opportunity as the Colombian could not get his head over the ball before sending it above the bar. Finding themselves in need of a leveller, County struggled to get themselves off the back-foot, Hale attempting an overhead kick to no avail as Prior watched it sail above his head. Looking to provide a cushion before a testing trip to Dingwall, Lewis Smith attempted to earn his side a penalty but was rewarded instead with a yellow card for simulation with Livingston able to see the game out regardless. There would be far greater drama as a Livingston fan approached the County dugout, spitting on a member of Don Cowie’s backroom staff following the full-time whistle. Line-ups: Livingston: Prior, Fraser, Wilson, McGowan, Brandon (c), Kelly, Tait (Finlayson 61), Pittman, Montaño (Yengi 82), Muirhead (May 74), Smith Unused subs: Lawal, Hamilton, McAlear, Nottingham, Shinnie, Sole Goals: Wilson (46) Booked: Smith, Wilson Ross County: Amissah, Campbell, Nightingale, Wright, Ashworth (Harmon 70), Randall (c), Kenneh, Efete (Smith 70), Nisbet, Hale, Samuel (White 60) Unused subs: Coyle, Phillips, Robesten, Ross, Tomkinson, Williamson Goals: Hale (96) Booked: Samuel, Kenneh Attendance: 2,653
Spoils shared at Easter Road as Hibs hold Rangers
Hibernian 2-2 Rangers Barry Ferguson’s possible last game in charge of Rangers fell flat as Hibernian levelled twice to cap off a remarkable second half of the season. A Cyriel Dessers opening just two minutes in had stunned an Easter Road crowd in the mood to celebrate. Jordan Smith’s careless pass allowing Nico Raskin to feed the league top scorer who lifted the ball over his header before drilling in his 17th for the season. Lethal on the counter, Hibernian punished the visitors’ profligacy in front of goal, racing from one end to the other with Martin Boyle’s drilled low ball across the box finding Kieron Bowie who was able to slip away for the leveller. Having failed to learn from an early Raskin header from a corner, David Gray’s side were punished after the break as the Belgian’s deft flick-on gave Rangers the lead. In almost as much time as it taken them to respond to the opener, Hibs fired back for a second time as Nicky Cadden’s long range cross found Martin Boyle in an incredulous amount of space to head the ball past a helpless Jack Butland. There will no doubt be frustration for Barry Ferguson, who watched his side fumble two golden opportunities, the first from Vaclav Černy, who botched his attempt one on one with Smith. The worst was yet to come, this time Raskin contriving to beat Smith yet fail to put the ball past Rocky Bushiri, who found himself bundled over inside the goal, with Dessers unable to do better on the rebound. Smith was not short of things to do on the day, brilliantly denying James Tavernier’s free-kick heading straight for the top corner. Ferguson’s audition ends but problems deeper For all the use of platitudes and rousing speeches, the numbers never lie and what they tell us is fairly damning for Ferguson’s job prospects. Having failed to win a game in which they were dominant, part of the blame lies with the players who were unable to convert numerous chances in front of goal. As Raskin said in his conference after the game, the performance summed up the season as a whole, flashes but unable to get over the line. The pantomime of names associated with the club will run wild in the coming weeks with Fergus not out of the mix by any means, but the issues at the club run far deeper than who is in the dugout. Fitting Gayle tribute cherry on cake If ever there was a way to round off a career, Dwight Gayle might have struggled to conjure one as special as being surrounded by family and teammates, being serenaded by ‘Sunshine on Leith’. Despite the glorious weather, Hibs by no means had their minds on sunny beaches. Instead, they continued to hound Rangers after falling behind. A season that looked destined for the doldrums was turned on its head with that Aberdeen draw and where once a relegation battle was on the cards, the club can now dangle the carrot of European football in front of potential signings. Indeed their transfer window might be one of the most interesting of the summer (second to Rangers it is fair to say) as they look to strengthen to play on multiple fronts without falling to the spiralling impact that their Edinburgh rivals suffered. Line-ups: Hibernian: Smith, Iredale (Obita 93), Bushiri, O’Hora, Cadden, Manneh (Moriah-Welsh 57), Triantis (Levitt 79), Cadden, Hoilett (Campbell 57), Bowie (Gayle 57), Boyle (c) Unused subs: Bursik, Ekpiteta, Kuharevich, Levitt, Youan Goals: Bowie (16) Booked: Bowie, Moriah-Welsh, Boyle Rangers: Butland, Kasanwirjo, Balogun (Pröpper), Souttar, Tavernier (c), Raskin (Cortés 81), Barron, Diomandé (Lawrence 54), Danilo, Dessers, Černy (Rice 81) Unused subs: Kelly, Curtis, McCallion, McCausland, Nsiala, Rice Goals: Dessers (2) Booked: Diomandé, Kasanwirjo Attendance: 18,793
Belief the Key for Thistle and Livi’s Promotion Aspirations – O’Reilly and Fraser
Partick Thistle centre half and Livingston left back Daniel O’Reilly and Robbie Fraser both have the belief that their sides have what it takes to be playing Premiership football next season. Livingston hold all the aces going into tonight’s second leg, as they host a Thistle side that they defeated at Firhill 2-0 in the first leg of the playoff semi-final, but Irish centre back O’Reilly believes the tie is far from over just yet. “We’ve just got to dig in, you know, we’ve got a really good group, and we’ve just got to stick together and keep fighting and like I said, we’re still obviously in the tie and this is where we want to be so we have just got to keep going. “We beat them [Livingston] there two weeks ago. Obviously it will be different now, we need to score two, We need to throw everything at them, we need to get that first goal and we will have a big backing from our fans as always which will obviously help. We just need to go for it then and hopefully we can get that goal and the the pressure is on them. “If you look at it,it’s like a game. It is halftime really. So there is 90 minutes, they have scored two today so there is no reason why we can’t [do the same]”. It is a different sort of challenge for Robbie Fraser and his Livingston teammates, who have the ominous challenge of defending a 2 goal advantage against a side who won at their ground on the final day of the league campaign, but Fraser spoke full of belief for his teammates as they bid for an immediate bounce back up to Scotland’s top flight, “We have good players, and we all believe in each other, and their the reasons we get results. You know we have been pretty consistent throughout and we showed tonight that we are all good performers. “I felt we should have had a couple more goals, but that is football. And even then, they [Thistle] could have a couple of goals as well so two goals, and a clean sheet is a nice one, trust me.” When asked if Livingston possess the quality to get promoted to the Premiership, Fraser said: “Absolutely. I believe in every single member in that changing room.The staff believe in us, which is important as well, so whoever is on the pitch, they can do a job and as shown where we finished in the table, we took it to the last day because we were really consistent.”
Celtic must learn how to win but Hibs should fear us – Noonan
Celtic striker Saoirse Noonan believes the inability to close out games this season has been the difference between themselves and title chasing Hibs, whose dreams she hopes to dash this evening. Ahead of the penultimate game of the season, summer signing Noonan believes her side must balance their attacking verve with knowing how to manage games. “For me it’s just learning how to win and I think it’s actually really upsetting because some of the good football that we have played at times has gone unnoticed because you don’t win games,” said Noonan, ” I can go back to the game against Glasgow I think that first half we were well on top we played really well but they know how to win and we don’t.” “I think that’s what’s been the difference this season. No one cares if you play badly, everyone thinks you’re brilliant if you win games. I think that’s the hardest part is that we have done some things right it’s just we haven’t got the results.” With 23 league goals since arriving from English side Durham, Noonan has made an immediate impact in Glasgow such that the forward earned her first Ireland cap since 2021. “I’m obviously delighted that I was able to contribute that this season but look, we’re realistic, we’re all looking at the bigger picture and we didn’t win anything this year,” she said before adding “so those goals don’t really mean anything unfortunately but it’s definitely given me a bit of self-belief and a bit of a platform to work on for next season for sure.” Despite a recent goal drought that has now extended to six games, Noonan was praised by her manager Elena Sadiku. “I told Saoirse that I’m very proud of her. I’m proud of how she’s developed as a leader in the team. Listen, I didn’t expect Saoirse to be our top goal scorer in the first season. I don’t think that she did either,” said Sadiku. “She brings a lot to the team now more than just scoring goals. I’m very proud of the journey she’s had at Celtic and I can’t wait to see more of her next season.” However before looking to next season, Noonan expressed both her and her teammates’ desire to make life difficult for Hibs tonight. “Part of the talk all week is that we can’t win it but we can still cause upsets and that’s so important in football you you want teams to fear you you want to leave your mark,” said Noonan. “If we’re going to look on to building for next season we need teams to fear us so we’re not going to roll over for anyone.”
Jaded Thistle downed by Livi double
Partick Thistle 0-2 Livingston: 13th May 2025 | Scottish Premiership Playoff 1st Leg Attendance: 5,470 Livingston took a huge step in re-securing their place in the Scottish Premiership next season as they defeated Partick Thistle 0-2 at Firhill Stadium. The Lions, who finished 2nd in the Championship in a title race that ended up going to the final day, have done their chances of a first time return to the top-flight following last year’s relegation no harm as they host the Jags at the Home of the Set Fare Arena this Friday in the return leg. Goals either side of half time from Scott Pittman and Danny Wilson gave the West Lothian side the victory on the night, but David Martindale will be under no illusions that the tie is over, as they face a Thistle side who overcame a home-leg deficit to get to this stage when they resigned Scott Brown’s Ayr United to another season of Championship football in the previous installment of the Premiership Play-offs. Livingston’s last game before tonight’s was actually a defeat on the final day at home to Partick Thistle, which secured playoff football for the Glaswegians, with the starting lineup from that game also starting tonight’s encounter. Thistle are currently led by co-interim managers Mark Wilson, and this evening’s captain, Brian Graham, who had a glaring opportunity to put the home side ahead on the 27th minute, when Robbie Crawford tackled a ball that was being escorted out of play for a goal kick to regain possession.Graham ran slightly early, and could only manage a backheel which flew wide of Jerome Prior’s left post. Graham had been honoured pre-match with a framed shirt to pay tribute to the striker’s achievement from last week, when he bagged his 100th goal for the club to win the aforementioned tie versus Ayr United, and he had the best chance he could have asked for to make it goal 101. Thistle maintained the pressure but it would be the visitors who would take the lead against the run of play, when in the 39th minute Scott Pitman hit the back of the net. Cristian Montana passed the ball through Luke McBeth’s legs to find Robbie Fraser down the left flank, and the Rangers loanee put it on a plate for Pittman to fire home. It could so nearly have been two before half time, if it wasn’t for Lee Ashcroft denying Stephen Kelly on the goal line just moments before the interval. The opener gave Livingston a newfound confidence to take to the second half, which proved dividends in the 52nd minute. Ryan McGowan leaped up to head a looping free kick downwards, and fellow centre back Danny Wilson, who had seen an overhead kick attempt hit the roof of the net just a couple minutes prior, connected with a half volley which crashed off the crossbar and over the goal line. Livi looked comfortable enough from here on in, up until a late flurry of attempts in the dying stages from Thistle. Lee Ashcroft drove from deep and hit the bar with a rocket from the edge of the box, but their biggest way back into the match came in added time when Brian Graham got onto the end of a ball across the box, but his effort went way over. Livingston now go into the second leg with a 2 goal advantage, as they host Partick Thistle this Friday night at home, looking to book their ticket to the Premiership Playoff Final against 11th place of the Premiership. What The Managers Said: Livingston boss David Martindale said: “I’m delighted with the result. We have played better, if I’m honest, but delighted with the result. Back to ours, they [Partick Thistle] look jaded, don’t they? Two hamstrings [injuries] so it catches up on you. “I think it’s a huge ask for third or fourth.I really do. I don’t think it’s so big for second.But the game’s not done. It’s only half-time. But I feel for Brian and Mark a wee bit because they’ve turned it around. (It’s been a fantastic run for them and their more influential players are getting injured, which is difficult for them. “Yeah, I mean, I’ve got to show them a lot of respect. I don’t think, I genuinely don’t think it’s done. Yeah, I think most hope for Patrick, they’re going to go down to Ayr United. It was kind of like a shoo-in. Ayr would go through, they’d get an early goal, and then they’d go and win the game.So, I’ll not be taking them lightly. I never took them lightly tonight. But we’ve kind of got to use their schedule against them, slightly. And kind of, we’ve had that wee bit of a break.” Partick Thistle interim co-manager Mark Wilson: “Obviously the results are sore one. Just the way we played, you know, pretty disappointing. We didn’t really start well again here, which is disappointing, although they took control of the game pretty quickly. “I thought they looked the more composed side, passed that bit in a bumpy pitch. I didn’t think we got to grips with that or probably took enough risk in possession. Having said that, we kind of got back in the game and created one or two wee openings, one or two chances, and then we’ll always have a goal that’s so poor defensively. “The full group since we came in 13 weeks ago have been great. Sometimes that can happen when a manager goes and everybody takes a bit of shared responsibility. So it’s certainly been terrific in that respect. They’ve dug deep time and time again in the 97th minute here at Falkirk, away at Livingston where we were up against it, particularly last week, where we sat in a similar position and we managed to go to Somerset and score two goals and keep a clean sheet. There’s no reason why we can’t do that again.” Line Ups: Partick Thistle:
Pressure is on Hibs this time – Celtic boss Sadiku
Celtic boss Elena Sadiku believes her side can test the credentials of title hopefuls Hibs on Wednesday night, almost a year on from the Edinburgh side coming close to denying the Hoops a first league victory on the final day. Speaking to the media ahead of the clash at Meadowbank, Sadiku said there was much to play for despite a top three finish being impossible, with opportunities for fringe players to stake a claim after a disappointing loss to Rangers on Sunday. “I think I’ve made it clear after the game that I’m going to give players chances because I think they have done well in training,” said Sadiku. Having struggled to retain their first title this season, the manager is hoping to lay the foundations to come back stronger for the next campaign. “Nothing comes for free. Maybe it was a little bit easier before when Hibs were not as good or Hearts were not as good, and you knew that there were a few games where we needed to be at the top. But for me, if you want to be a winning team, you need to be at the top even if you play Montrose, even if you play Partick Thistle or Motherwell.” “The performance against Rangers, was not good enough and I want a different attitude towards this game,” she said. “We’re not going to make it easy for them because they sure did not make it easy for us. If that is enough motivation for the players then I don’t think they’re at the right place.” Speaking on the signing of players to improve on the trophy-less campaign, albeit one which saw a first qualification for the Champions League, there was a sense a frustration at the lack of clarity concerning recruitment and the number of individuals involved in the process. “Right now it’s me and David Haley. That’s it,” said Sadiku, “I just need to know from the board exactly how it looks because, obviously, I can’t go out and promise this contract and that contract when I don’t know the answers.” Having come under pressure from fans, the manager remained confident in her ability to take the team forward. “I can deal with pressure. I can deal with fans not liking me. I’ve been through so much worse in my life so this is nothing for me.” “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I’ve done well with this club. Obviously, this season, domestically, has not been good enough and I know that, but the positive is I’ve learned so much and I know exactly what I need to bring in to make sure that we are so successful next season.”
Ferguson Finally Breaks Ibrox Duck as Rangers Hit Aberdeen for Four
Barry Ferguson has waited a long time for this. At the sixth time of asking, the Rangers interim boss finally delivered a home win – and in emphatic fashion – as his side dismantled Aberdeen 4-0 in the William Hill Premiership. After a tepid and, at times, tense opening 45 minutes, the match sparked into life in the second half. Vaclav Cerny fired Rangers in front ten minutes after the restart, finishing calmly after a smart through ball from Nicolas Raskin. Cyriel Dessers, who had endured a frustrating first half, doubled the lead shortly after, burying a cutback from Raskin to make it 2-0. From that point, Aberdeen crumbled. Hamza Igamane, introduced at the interval, made a real impact – and his 70th-minute strike was the pick of the bunch. Flicking the ball up and lashing home from distance, the Moroccan offered a moment of real quality on a day when Rangers badly needed a boost. Jefte’s late strike – a deflected effort from Cerny’s shot – added gloss in stoppage time and ensured Ferguson could finally celebrate three points at Ibrox. For Aberdeen, it was a damaging result in the race for third, and with just two games left, they remain three points adrift of Hibs. Having shown promise in the opening stages of the second half – with Topi Keskinen rattling the woodwork – their collapse was as alarming as it was sudden. Rangers, meanwhile, snapped a five-match winless streak at home stretching back to early February. Ferguson, brought in on a short-term deal to steady the ship, has endured a rough spell – and while this win doesn’t change the bigger picture of a trophyless season, it does ease some pressure. The takeover talk continues to dominate the narrative around the club, with the expected arrival of Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises looming large. For many fans, the fresh start can’t come soon enough. Key Moments: 55’ – Cerny opens the scoring after a fine pass from Raskin. 60’ – Dessers doubles the lead with a composed finish. 70’ – Igamane stuns Ibrox with a brilliant long-range effort. 90+2’ – Jefte rounds off the rout with a deflected fourth. It may be too little, too late for Rangers’ season ambitions, but for Barry Ferguson, it was a long-overdue homecoming worth savouring.
Rangers maintain title hunt with Celtic win
Rangers kept themselves in the hunt for SWPL title, edging past Celtic courtesy of Kirsty Howat’s early goal and maintaining their undefeated status against their rivals this season. A long range pass from Tessel Middag saw Howat dart into space with only Kelsey Daugherty to beat, the striker making no mistake in passing the keeper before slotting home the opener. Fife, was called into action after a quiet first-half as Saoirse Noonan fired a low driven shot in the second half, but the keeper was equal to it. It proved to be a difficult afternoon for the Irish striker, who fired another good chance clear over the bar. Howat almost grabbed herself a double, one on one with the keeper she was denied by a sprawling Daugherty as Celtic looked to find a way back into the game. Coming close to adding a second for Rangers, Kirsty MacLean’s rocket from outside the box was well saved by the American shot stopper. However there would be no opportunity more golden than one wasted by substitute Morgan Cross, whose diving header could only send a potential equaliser wide following Smith’s excellent cross. Holding for the three points, Rangers pipped Glasgow City to second thanks to their vastly superior goal and sit just three points behind Hibernian with two games left to play. Line-ups: Celtic: Daugherty, Barclais, Clark (Carstens 89), Lawton, Ashworth-Clifford (Cross 70), Nakao (Harrison 82), Gallacher (Cavanagh 82), Smith, McAneny, Noonan, Agnew (Loferski 71) Unused subs: Dawson, Bruna Lourenço, Rodgers Booked: Cavanagh Rangers: Fife, Docherty (c), Rafferty, Middag, McLeary, MacLean, Wilkinson (McAuley 83), Cornet, Hay (Lafaix 92), Howat (Berry 92), Hardy (Ross 88) Unused subs: Arnot, Cruft, Esson Goals: Howat (12) Booked: Cornet, Howat