Ross County fail to tackle winless problem at Rugby Park with defeat at Kilmarnock
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Kilmarnock 3
Ross County 1
Scorers: Kilmarnock: Brophy (53, 56 pen) Kabamba (83) County: Vigurs (26)
Ross County were made to pay the penalty as Eamonn Brophy pulled Kilmarnock from behind as they grabbed all three points at Rugby Park.
Iain Vigurs gave the Staggies the lead midway through the first half, but they conceded two goals in three minutes early after the break with Nicke Kabamba killing the game off late on.
Ross County have failed to win in their last seven league matches, stretching back to the 1-0 win against Kilmarnock in Dingwall in December 14.
Ross County made three changes to the team that lost at Ibrox as Richard Foster, Lee Erwin and Oil Shaw came in for Sean Kelly, Blair Spittal and Billy McKay.
The Staggies hadn’t scored a goal since Vigurs found the net in the 1-1 draw at St Johnstone on December 29.
Kilmarnock kicked off the match having lost their last seven league matches.
But they almost broke the deadlock after five minutes when Rory McKenzie played through Brophy whose shot produced a good save from Nathan Baxter with the ball punted away from danger by Foster.
But Ross County took the lead midway through the first half when Josh Mullin pounced on a throw out by goalkeeper Laurentiu Branescu.
His cross from the right wing eventually found Vigurs at the edge of the box who blasted the ball into the top right corner of the net.
Ross County controlled the game well until eight minutes into the second half when the Staggies equalised.
The defence was guilty of backing off Brophy who from the edge of the box fired the ball into the top left corner.
Three minutes later Kilmarnock were awarded a penalty when Coll Donaldson was judged to have fouled Chris Burke in the box.
Brophy grabbed his second off the match beating Baxter from the spot.
Goalkeeper Baxter kept Ross County in the game with a fingertip save from a powerful header from Dario Del Fabro.
But Kabamba killed the game off six minutes from time beating the County defence in the air to nod Burke's free kick into the net from 10 yards.
Kilmarnock Brancescu, O’Donnell, Findlay, Del Fabro Hamalainen,, Power, Dicker, McKenzie (Bunn 84), Burke, Kabamba, Brophy (Kiltie 79).
Subs (Unused) Poprivec, El Makrini, Broadfoot, Millen, St Clair.
Ross County: Baxter, Fraser, Watson, Donaldson, Forster, Tillson (Paton 72), Cowie (Spittal 65), Vigurs, Mullin, Erwin, Shaw (McKay 72).
Subs (Unused) Laidlaw, Kelly, Fontaine, Spence.
Referee: Willie Collum.
Attendance 4733
