Ross County manager Malky Mackay delighted that his side found a way to win after starting League Cup tie at Airdrie like a 'house on fire'
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Malky Mackay was delighted to see Ross County start their League Cup game away at Airdrieonians like 'a house on fire' – and relieved to find a way to win a dramatic cup contest at the Excelsior Stadium.
Going two goals ahead inside 10 minutes, it could have turned into a procession for the Staggies, but Airdrie fought back to show why they were the only side to take maximum points from the group stage.
In the end, two substitutes combined to send County into the quarter finals as Dylan Smith sent a pinpoint cross in from right back for Eamonn Brophy to head in at the back post.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions for the travelling fans from Dingwall, and Mackay too, as their lead was cancelled out in dramatic circumstances only for County to come out on top in the end.
"Airdrie have been on a roll, they won promotion and they were excellent in their group before starting the Championship season well," Mackay reasoned.
"They have a distinct style of play, we were on Astroturf and we were in Airdrie, so all of that meant it was always going to be tough.
"I knew how we should play against them, and we started like a house on fire. In the first half I thought we were excellent, and at half time I thought they would have to come out and be gung ho – which they did – and that meant we would have to be careful.
"I was disappointed that it was two really silly errors towards the end. The ball was going out of the park, and all of a sudden we've given them a penalty and a way back in. Then the ball is on our six-yard box and all we have to do is kick it into the stand, but we miskick it and give them the goal.
"Once we got to extra time, I was delighted with the way that we stood firm. We found a way to win, and that's what you've got to do whether you play a distinct style or whether you do anything else tactically.
"You have to find a way to win, and we did that today so it's a great testament to the group of players in our dressing room. We have fought for each other at the start of the season, and the consistency levels are great compared to last year."
The fact that it was two substitutes linking up was not lost on Mackay either, and he believes that is an area where County have significantly improved compared to last season.
"We've got players who can come on and actually impact the game," he added.
"We lost Yan Dhanda this week because of a horrendous challenge last week, but Kyle Turner came in and slipped seamlessly into that position and scored again.
"Young Max Sheaf came on and did well, Jay Henderson came on and put some great deliveries into the box. A 17-year-old came on and looked really comfortable too.
"We've got a little bit more strength in depth this year, which is certainly something we needed considering where we ended up last year."
