Ross County secure promotion to Scotland's elite
ROSS County have won the First Division title and will join Highland rivals Caley Thistle in the Scottish Premier League next season.
Promotion to the top flight was confirmed last night when Dundee failed to beat Queen of the South, meaning the Staggies have an unassailable 14-point lead.
The Dingwall club will aim to celebrate in style tonight when they look to extend their unbeaten league run to 30 games when they face Ayr United at Somerset Park.
"It is a testament to the manager and players that they have secured promotion to the SPL with five fixtures still to be played and reflects the unstinting hard work and dedication that has been shown in planning, on the training pitch and during matches since June, and even earlier, last year," said a County spokesman.
"Anyone who watches the First Division knows what an incredibly tough competition it is, but having been top since October, Derek (Adams, County manager) and the players will not be resting on their laurels as the focus remains on attempting to extend their phenomenal 29-game unbeaten run and amassing as many points as possible between now and the final day of the season, away to Queen of the South on 5th May — starting with the long trip to take on the Honest Men today.
"We would however like to take this opportunity to thank the fans for their tremendous support over the course of the season and particularly since the turn of the year when the supporters have played a big part in helping the team as they pushed hard to get over the line."
Work will start on increasing the capacity of County’s stadium, Victoria Park, this summer so it meets SPL criteria. An agreement is in place for County to use Caley Thistle’s home venue, Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, until the work is completed.
> See more in Friday’s Courier.