cantankerousoldgit

A poor performance and credit to Stranraer but well done all the same for a tricky job done. I was dreading an extra half hour of this. Questionable decision not to play Doran from the start as I thought we looked livelier as soon as he came on and he deserved his goal. Man of then match for me just for his 25 mins. Draper was as poor and the pitch was atrocious. What is up with it? I heard it suggested that the covers might do more harm than good. More importantly can it be sorted before the next tie?

Did I hear correctly on Radio Scotland yesterday that County being rubbish for the first half of the season then bringing in a couple of players in January and being a bit better was all part of Derek's cunning masterplan all along? If so can someone explain to me how this works.

Division

He is being compared unfavourably to Fenlon. If doesn't get a top 6 finish will he go the same way?

Shy

Most neutral observers would say that it was no way a red although clearly a professional foul so it's interesting to see how so many Hearts fans viewed it as violent conduct which it clearly wasn't. Great that for once the authorities showed common sense. Can further league or Scottish cup yellows now potentially lead to suspension for any of our players for final? I can't get my head around the over-complex rules for suspensions.

I'm glad they did play McCallum- his penalty was rubbish.

Hard to know how many will crawl out of the log pile. Papers are suggesting 10,000.

The Glasgow media certainly don't like us. Keevin's comments about wanting Hearts to win the semi because we only took just over 100 fans to Rugby Park and we're just a silly wee diddy team etc were typical. They all think that the world ends at Broxden services although for some reason County are cute. They've all written us off for the final already which suits us fine.We're more dangerous when cornered. Just because you're PARANOID doesn't mean they're not OUT TO GET YOU!

I thought he was average last time around and I was sceptical about his return but looks like he has really improved and we've been missing someone who's willing and capable of taking a shot from distance. Looks like shrewd move bringing him back after all.

In recent times the 3-2 turn around v Celtic and the celebrations at Ayr 0 ICT 7 were great moments but the moment that Nick Ross's last gasp poke stopped floating in the air above the goal line and the normal passage of time continued has got to be the best.

The manager should also share some blame. Warren's yellows were soft but he could have been yellow carded for the foul before the sendaing off. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one shouting for him to be subbed before the inevitable. Meekings' was a yellow and no way a red. The referee might take into account previous infringements when issuing a yellow but not a straight red. The system of match suspensions is as clear as mud to me. It didn't seem reasonable that Stevenson was able to use a re-scheduled game to avoid missing the cup game although I can't remember what his red was for.

Danny's goal was great as was whole team performance. Looks like it was a shrewd move getting him signed up. Well done lads. We're right back in the challenge for European places thanks to a tremendous effort today.

I've made a few enquiries about rescheduling our preliminary plans for July, and the draft fixture list looks quite tempting. Sun 6 Friendly Clachnacuddin Kingston Tue 8 Friendly Fort William Nevis Sat 12 Friendly Montrose Montserrat Tue 15 Friendly Brora Barbados Wed 16 Friendly Muir of Ord Port of Spain Sat 19 Friendly Arbroath Aruba Wed 23 Friendly Elgin Holguin Sat 26 League St Johnstone St Lucia A luxury cruise liner has been provisionally booked to accomodate and transport the team and the fans between islands, to be paid for by the same long queue of sponsors who are donating to the scoreboard fund. However, with the SPFL insisting that the first game kicks off at 12.30pm on a Sunday, long before even the first Megabus gets in, a fleet of jets is being arranged by CaleyJags Together to get us all over there in time. Red Stripe have kindly offered to subsidise the transport cost of this down to a very reasonable £10 per head. There will of course be a toilet stop at Broxden. Nice one but do we all have to share a bed with Russell?

How has the compensation money been spent? Surely not all on Foran's new contract. Plus savings on Toby's wages. There must be some extra available for strengthening surely?

I would not like to lose Vincent but the real answer is for Hughes to start earning his wages and begin bringing in some talent of his own and to think about moulding his own team. He is in the fortunate position of having most of the rest of our decent players signed up beyond this season but whether or not we hang on to Vincent, now is the time to for him to prove his worth by shoring up our depleted midfield with a decent signing and I don't mean Tansey.

You're welcome. It's well known that schoolboys bump their heads a lot. Classic schoolboy error. I don't know what they teach them in schools these days.

I think he claimed it was a schoolboy error not a senior moment.

The Mirror is just tying to stir it up. I think Butcher will be waiting in vain for Marley. He is settled in Inverness away from the rat race and has no need to keep on moving.

Sorrows

Their new manager should be in place by then.

Poor Derek - the unluckiest man in Scotland. Every bad decision has gone against him and every game he's lost has been against the run of play. In fact the only bit of luck he's had was when the lights went out! Steve Clark for County

Battered eyelids remind me of a sausage supper from our local chippy.

All very interesting but to get back to McKay, another outstanding performance and couple of excellent goals today and his stock must be higher than ever. I think he would find it hard to resist an offer from the likes of Swansea and we would find it hard to find someone with his predatorial instinct to replace him. It is worry that so many goals have come from him with rest of squad lacking in natural finishers.

Aberdeenx2 Celtic Dundee UTC Motherwell - tricky-some points at least would be required from these fixtures but why not. I think we can hold our own against any of them including a deflated Celtic.