Ross County lose grip on Betfred Cup after shock defeat at Alloa Athletic
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HOLDERS Ross County last night (Wednesday) crashed out of the Betfred Cup with a 3-2 defeat at League One Alloa Athletic.
It means Jim McIntyre's side cannot emerge from Group D and their weekend game at home to Highland League champions Cove Rangers is worthless.
McIntyre apologised to the fans who travelled to the Indodrill Stadium and labelled the performance "embarrassing".
Alloa cashed in on slack defending early on and Jordan Kirkpatrick supplied a cool finish after only two minutes.
The Wasps stung the Staggies again on 11 minutes when a poor clearance from goalkeeper Scott Fox set up Iain Flannigan and his cross was slotted home by Jon Robertson for a 2-0 advantage.
It was a wake-up call for County and they got back into the tie when striker Brian Graham, who led a three-man attack alongside Liam Boyce and Alex Schalk, converted a cross from Michael Gardyne on 14 minutes.
The explosive action continued and the Dingwall side hauled themselves level when defender Jay McEveley released Schalk and the Dutchman, whose goal clinched this silverware last term, fired the ball past Neil Parry.
County were better in the second half, but the winner came from Alloa when full-back Calum Waters finished with a low shot into the corner.
County won the League Cup with a 2-1 win against Hibs at Hampden in March, but due to the revamped format, it means they are already out of the competition, with the final set for the national stadium on November 27.
Although the Cove clash on Saturday can't result in their progression in the Betfred Cup, a furious McIntyre will be looking for a big reaction from his players, with the Scottish Premiership kick-off against Dundee following seven days later.
There was success in Group C for Caley Thistle last night as they crushed Championship hosts Dunfermline Athletic 5-1 thanks to an Iain Vigurs hat-trick and goals from Billy King and Carl Tremarco.
ICT are expected to qualify as at least one of the four best runners-up by beating Arbroath at Inverness on Saturday.
The draw for the second round takes place after Sunday's Dundee United v Dunfermline game in the same section as Caley Thistle.
