Ross County warm up for the Premier Sports League Cup group stage with comfortable 23-man work-out against Brora Rangers
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Brora Rangers (0) 1
Ross County (2) 4
Malky Mackay's new-look Ross County squad warmed up for the Premier Sports Cup with a solid 4-1 victory over Highland League hosts Brora Rangers.
It was a far cry from sun-kissed Verona, where the Staggies had spent a week of hard work in preparation without friendlies.
But using all 23 listed players, Mackay saw six new signings make debuts.
The Premiership side, in their first and only pre-season friendly, grasped a ninth minute lead.
Southampton loanee Kazeem Olaigbe managed to lift a deflected finish over Joe Malin from a tight angle after cutting in from the right side of the home penalty box.
It was 2-0 after 21 minutes after a fine move from the Staggies cut through Brora's hard-working defence.
Canadian midfielder Victor Loturi, signed from Calvary this summer, released a terrific angled ball forward from deep, finding countryman Ben Paton to the left of the box.
Paton's low cross evaded Brora's rearguard and found Dominic Samuel executing a simple tap-in at the far post.
County, with youth product Dylan Smith a starter in the heart of defence alongside Alex Iacovitti, mostly dominated possession as expected and looked to build play from the back.
But with Jordan White having one front post finish ruled off-side, the Highland League hosts frustrated County through the rest of the half.
The lively ex-Southampton winger Josh Sims did tear through one-on-one with Malin, but the home keeper made a superb block.
Seven minutes into the second period, it was three for a completely transformed County side featuring 11 changes.
Among them, Bristol City loanee Owura Edwards was able to trouble Brora with his pace and close control and sent the ball across from the right for Jordy Hiwula to strike home the third.
Brora made a steady stream of second half substitutions but impressed with their organisation and in one or two fine phases of possession.
Edwards again showed flashes of that lightening pace as County searched for a fourth.
It arrived eight minutes from time from a Ross Callachan cross as Matthew Wright struck close-in at the back post after great interplay from Yan Dhanda and Callachan.
Brora's consolation came soon after with Martin Maclean beating substitute keeper Ross Munro from distance with a fantastic dipping shot, although the County shotstopper protested that he had been impeded by Brora' Tom Kelly lying injured in his six-yard box.
BRORA RANGERS (3-5-2): Malin; Kelly, Meekings, Williamson; Gunn, Maclean, Gillespie, G. Macdonald, Ewan; Macrae, Dingwall. Subs: A. Macdonald, J MacRae, Sutherland, Gamble, Rennie, Nicol.
ROSS COUNTY (4-4-2): Laidlaw; Randall, Iacovitti, Smith, Paton; Olaigbe, Cancola, Loturi, Sims; White, Samuel. Subs: Munro, Purrington, Ewan, Macleod, Callachan, Mackinnon, Wright, Edwards, Hiwula, Dhanda, Robestan, Watson.
