The 2011 Scottish Challenge Cup final was played between Queen of the South and Ross County at McDiarmid Park, Perth. Ross County won 2–0. The game had been postponed from November to April due to inclement weather.[1]
| Event | 2010–11 Scottish Challenge Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 10 April 2011 | ||||||
| Venue | McDiarmid Park, Perth | ||||||
| Referee | Euan Norris | ||||||
| Attendance | 5,124 | ||||||
Queen of the South beat Peterhead 2–1 in their semi-final[2] and Ross County beat Partick Thistle 4–3 on penalties after their semi-final ended at 2–2.[3]
Appearances in previous finals
editQueen of the South have appeared in the final twice before, winning the 2002 final 2–0 against Brechin City, but losing the 1997 final 1–0 to Falkirk. Ross County have appeared in three Challenge Cup finals to date, defeating Clyde on penalties in the 2006 final[4] but losing the 2004 final to Falkirk,[5] and the 2008 final to Airdrie United on penalties.[6]
Both teams have recently appeared in the Scottish Cup final. Queens were beaten 3–2 in 2008 Scottish Cup final by Rangers. County were beaten 3–0 by Dundee United two years later in the 2010 Scottish Cup final.
Postponement
editThe game was originally scheduled to be played on 28 November 2010. However the game was postponed at noon the day before the game after consultation with police voicing concerns over weather conditions particularly on the A9.[7] Due to the Scottish football referee strike, the original fixture was scheduled to be officiated by foreign officials. The revised final date was 10 April 2011.[8]
TV coverage
editThe match was televised live on BBC Alba.
Match summary
editThe game was played in unseasonally warm conditions with bright sunshine and a good natured atmosphere generated by both sets of fans. An early goal gave County a dream start but it was a nightmare for Queens and in particular goalkeeper David Hutton. Asked to deal with a routine passback by Queens captain David Lilley, a combination or poor decision making and poor ball control on Hutton's part allowed Andrew Barrowman to exert pressure and dispossess him. Barrowman easily rolled the ball into the empty net from one yard in the eighth minute to make the score 1–0 against his former club.[9]
Queens only exerted pressure in the five-minute period leading up to County's second goal when they forced goalmouth scrambles. However, a swift County counterattack led to a ball from the right wing, with Iain Vigurs scoring from close range in 39 minutes to make it 2–0.[9]
County were deserved winners without having to exert themselves against a Queens side who were easily second best in all departments and short of ideas other than aiming long balls at Derek Holmes.[9]
Match Details
edit| Queen of the South | 0 – 2 | Ross County |
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| Report | Barrowman  9' Vigurs 39' |
      Queen of the South
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    Ross County
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Road to the final
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Queen of the South
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Ross County
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References
edit- ^ "Alba Challenge Cup Final: Queen of the South 0 Ross County 2". Daily Record. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Peterhead 1-2 Queen of the South". BBC Sport. 9 October 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Ross County 2-2 Partick Thistle (4-3 pen)". BBC Sport. 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Ross County 1-1 Clyde (aet)". BBC Sport. 12 November 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Falkirk 2-1 Ross County". BBC Sport. 7 November 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Airdrie Utd 2-2 Ross County". BBC Sport. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Alba Cup Final is OFF" www.qosfc.com 27 Nov 2010
- ^ "Challenge Cup final rescheduled for 10 April" BBC Sport 17 February 2011
- ^ a b c "Queen of the South 0 - 2 Ross County" www.qosfc.com 11 April 2011 Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine