Ross County 1 Queen’s Park 2 – Wait is over as Josh Fowler hits the Dingwall Double​

IT’S been 203 days in the making, but Queen’s Park have finally registered another league victory.

Josh Fowler’s double in Dingwall gave Sean Crighton’s side their first win of this season and their first since March 1 at Raith Rovers. It moved the Spiders sixth in the William Hill Championship and had the noisy band of Spiders supporters cheering from end to end, and all the way home.

It’s been no less than the team has deserved after various close calls in the first six games of the campaign – four draws among them.

This time it was different. The same endeavour, but a different outcome. 

Fowler grabbed the decisive strikes, but this was a win built back to front with input all over the pitch.

Sean Crighton made one change from last week’s draw against Morton as Henry Fieldson stepped up to the starting XI for Seb Drozd. Matty Shiels forward to left wing – and he supplied Fowler’s first.

Not before the Spiders’ defence had held resolute against Ronan Hale and County’s attack. The Staggies spent last season in the Premiership and with plenty of Premiership players still in the squad the task in the Highlands was a tough one.

But Queen’s Park stood up to it, and then some.

They weathered a first-half storm from the home side with bodies on the line.

Cal Ferrie was first brought into action with a close range save from Hale after six minutes. Shortly afterwards had a free-kick to face but Louis Longridge bravely charged down the set-piece.

County had the bulk of possession for the opening 15 minutes, channelling plenty of possession down the Spiders’ right side for Aidan Connolly and Carlo Pignatiello to deal with.

And they did.

The visitors came into their own as the half-hour approached and had a huge shout for a penalty kick b efore they opened the scoring.

Connolly had a shot charged down, Fowler retrieved the loose ball and re-supplied, the little midfielder but he was clipped in the box. Alastair Grieve pointed for a goal-kick, but Connolly was clearly in pain as he returned to his feet.

County resumed their threat and a quite close range miss by Kieran Phillips from a wicked right wing delivery by Jay Henderson was a scare and Euan Murray scrambled away.

Ferrie was clattered as he punched clear at the next corner, requiring treatment from Jorge Pismante, and the Spiders re-grouped on the sideline.

The instructions paid off, the Spiders staff had done their homework, pre-empting an array of County attacking options and forewarning the defence, and teeing up the team to open the scoring on the break.

A brilliant header from Henry Fieldson, had Josh Fowler and and Matty Shiels chasing, the latter fed the former and the Spiders top scorer did the rest – stroking past Ross Laidlaw for the lead.

He shrugged off two glaring misses against Morton and a hint of offside in the build-up but the Spiders certainly didn’t get the rub of the green in the ten minutes following.

Tyrece McDonnell’s yellow card for a challenge on Len O’Sullivan looked a harsh decision, and then a penalty award against Carlo Pignatiello, bravely blocking a powerful strike, allowed Hale to level from the spot a minute from half-time.

After more instructions during the break the Spiders started brightly, trickery from Tyrece creating openings in the County backline and Pignatiello firing just over.

Quick-thinking from Louis Longridge helped Charlie Fox go close at a corner on his 100^th appearance for the Spiders and Aidan Connolly was a short distance from converting a nice move between Henry Fieldson and Matty Shiels on the left.

Then Shiels himself swung the momentum in the Spiders favour with a brilliant run in behind on the hour catching Declan Gallagher on his heels. The defender pulled him down and was sent off, offering McDonnell a set-piece that skimmed the crossbar.

With a man more, it was advantage Spiders.

They were patient in their play and picked their moment to strike. Drozd replaced  Fieldson with 20 minutes to go and the attacking move paid dividends within four minutes.

A ball from Fox was brought down by Fowler in the left channel. He fed Tyrece McDonnell and the Spiders patiently built the play left to right. A ball from Pignatiello to Connolly was knocked into the box and as County scrambled to clear, Fowler lashed in from the edge of the area – just ahead of McDonnell.

It was the decisive strike ending more than six months waiting for a league win, and just rewards for a squad who battled for the win, and were cheered off at the Global Energy Stadium by a jubilant away support.

QUEEN’S PARK: Ferrie, Fieldson (Drozd 72), Murray, Fox, Longridge, Macgregor (Waugh 89), Connolly (Scott 85), Pignatiello, Fowler, McDonnell, Shiels.

Subs not used: Wills, McGinlay, McLean, Sowa, Friel, McLeish.