Ross County delivered a stunning 7-1 victory away to Queen of the South on Saturday to maintain their flawless start to the League One season. The result keeps the Staggies top of the table with 28 points from 10 games, having scored 38 goals and conceded just six. They sit first in League One with a record of nine wins and a draw.
Stuart Kettlewell's side were relentless from the first whistle at Palmerston. Chin opened the scoring after just four minutes, finishing from a Graham assist. Hamilton doubled the lead four minutes later, and Wright made it three inside 10 minutes with Chin returning the favour for an assist. Randall added a fourth midway through the first half, again set up by Graham, before Docherty's strike just before the interval made it 5-0.
Queen of the South manager Nicky Clark said his side's performance was "really disappointing." "The most frustrating thing was that it looked like Berwick wanted it more than we did," Clark added, referencing a previous defeat.
The hosts pulled one back through Smith in the 70th minute, but Ross County finished strongly. Graham got the goal his performance deserved with an 82nd-minute strike and then converted a penalty three minutes later to complete the scoring. The win is County's fifth consecutive league victory, a run that includes a 5-0 win at Montrose and a 4-1 home victory over Alloa Athletic. This recent form has seen them win nine of their opening ten matches and they are on a five-game winning run.
Three Ross County players were shown yellow cards during the match, with Chin, Strapp and Graham all cautioned. Queen of the South's Shaun Want, Goldie and MacKenzie also received bookings. The Staggies made six changes in the second half, introducing the likes of Diack and Emslie to see out the commanding win.
With the three points secured, attention now turns to a home fixture against Airdrie United this Saturday 24 October. Airdrie sit fifth in the League One standings and were beaten 3-1 by Ross County when the sides met in August. County will be looking to extend their perfect record to 11 games from 11 in that upcoming match. Their recent form of five wins and no draws from their last five games, which also includes a 2-1 win over Forfar Athletic and a 14-0 victory over Hearts U21, provides strong momentum.
