Ross County manager Stuart Kettlewell had plenty of heroes when his side defeated Celtic 2-0 in the Betfred Cup recently. However, perhaps the biggest hero of them all was striker Ross Stewart.
Stewart was tasked with taking the penalty that would have given County the lead in the game, and he finished with aplomb.
Showed plenty of courage
The goal was Stewart’s sixth of the season, and he showed plenty of courage and bottle to take the penalty. The goal gave Ross County a platform to build on, and the goal was added to in the second-half by Alex Iacovitti’s header. However, it was Stewart who was arguably the man of the match for the Dingwall side.
The 24-year-old caused Celtic all kinds of problems during the game, and Kettlewell was full of admiration for how Stewart went about his business.
“He was a handful for their defensive unit throughout. I think they struggled to cope with him any time we got a good ball into him” he said (Press and Journal).
“Puts his stock right up”
“He has had two or three performances to a similar standard, but that puts his stock right up. That’s him back to where we know he can be as a player. Playing against that calibre of defender, I think he showed he’s more than a handful for anyone” Kettlewell concluded.
Stewart now has a chance to help Ross County reach the semi-finals of the tournament they won in 2016. Ross County take on Livingston in the quarter-finals of the Betfred Cup in two weeks time.
If Stewart is on form, then County could be one game away from a cup final.