Three things to takeaway from Ross County's Premier Sports Cup exit against Celtic in Dingwall plus post-match reaction from Malky Mackay and goalscorer Alex Iacovitti
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Ross County's run in the Premier Sports Cup is over after they were defeated 4–1 by Celtic.
The Staggies looked up against it from the opening minutes when Celtic hit the woodwork twice, but they got a moment of hope at 2–0 down when Alex Iacovitti headed past Benjamin Siegrist.
However, it still was not to be as Celtic would add two more goals to the scoresheet to seal their spot in the quarter finals.
With just a couple of days before hosting Aberdeen in the Premiership, then, what can County take from their midweek match? Sports reporter Andrew Henderson examines...
Toe-to-toe
Two weeks ago when Celtic came to Dingwall in the league, Ross County set up to frustrate them. On Wednesday, it was very different.
Rather than lining up with defensively-minded midfielders, it was a fairly standard shape and team that Malky Mackay sent out. From the first minute the Staggies showed their intent, chasing down Celtic's defenders even when deep inside their own half.
Perhaps it was because it was a one-off cup match, but it was a show of courage from County to go out and try to take Celtic on with something more similar to the Parkhead side's own style.
Of course, the flip side of that decision is that it left more gaps in defence for Celtic to exploit, and with the form Celtic have been in lately they took advantage, but Wednesday was an example of Mackay practicing what he preaches and trying to revel in facing the top teams in the country.
Malky Mackay's thoughts: "I'm disappointed, because at that point we had gone man for man all over the pitch against an incredibly good team and we were nicking balls in high areas.
"We were brave and defending high, and we really made sure that Celtic had to work for any pass they got.
"At the same time we tested their goalkeeper two or three times, so I'm disappointed for my team because of the perseverance and bravery they showed."
Assets from the back
Who would have thought that going into September, Alex Iacovitti would be the only player in Scotland to have scored against Celtic this season?
County again showed that they can be a threat from set pieces, with Jordan White nodding Jake Eastwood's free kick into the path of Iacovitti to head home.
I usually like to try and give some tactical insight when writing these articles, but speaking of County's keeper one of the things that really stood out to me was very basic – Eastwood can launch a ball.
We might not see too much of him as he seems to be Mackay's number two choice to start in goal, but with the role of a goalkeeper ever-changing to make distribution more important, it will be interesting to see if Eastwood can battle his way into the side as the distance he got on his kicks could help launch quick counter attacks with ease.
Alex Iacovitti's thoughts: "(Scoring) doesn't feel like much consolation when we lose the game.
"It's hard to take the positives out of it when everyone's bitterly disappointed.
"If we could have stayed at 2–1 a little bit longer, it could have been a different outcome, but we need to get back to league action and focus on Aberdeen on Saturday. We'll really go for it in the league now."
Home advantage? Not this time.
I haven't said much on the supporter situation for Wednesday's game either in articles or on social media. I can see arguments on both sides, but one thing is for sure – it did not feel like a home game for Ross County midweek.
Staggies fans were vastly outnumbered in Dingwall, with nearly 80 per cent of the crowd sporting green and white.
It may be that County fans were put off knowing that there would be so many Celtic fans at the game, but it was striking that even with just two stands available to the home support the Jail End looked half-empty.
It will be interesting to see if County try this again going forward. Yes there are financial implications for leaving seats empty, but can the Staggies afford to potentially alienate their own fans by selling more tickets to visiting clubs? I'm not so sure.
Alex Iacovitti's thoughts: "It was still on our turf. Celtic and Rangers always bring big followings, so it's a great atmosphere to play in.
"Maybe it's something for us to look at and see what's going on, but it doesn't bother us, it doesn't faze us – it's still our pitch and we want to make this place horrible to come to.
"I love playing in front of good crowds, and they will bring a lot of fans for these games, so that boosts me."
