Ross County's Active Nation Scottish Cup fairytale goes on after they saw off Celtic 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Historic day for First Division outfit as they send Hoops packing
Ross County's Active Nation Scottish Cup fairytale goes on after they saw off Celtic 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Steven Craig and Martin Scott were the heroes for the First Division outfit, firing home after the interval to send the underdogs into dreamland.
It was nothing more than Derek Adams' side deserved, with County having dominated for long periods during the opening 45 minutes.
They made an out-of-sorts Celtic side look very ordinary at times, but were unable to make their pressure count.
That all changed, though, on 55 minutes when Craig was sent racing clear and he kept his composure to lash the ball past Lukasz Zaluska.
The goal, unsurprisingly, brought Celtic back to life, as they began to realise that they were in grave danger of ending the season empty-handed.
Spurred on by the lively Neil Lennon, who spent most of the game in a state of high anxiety, the Hoops poured forward and came close to snatching a lifeline on more than one occasion.
County, though, were able to hang onto what they had, while offering a considerable threat on the break, and snatched a second two minutes from time when Andrew Barrowman squared for Scott to bundle into an empty net.
Adam's men can now look forward to another day out at Hampden Park on 15th May, where they will meet either Dundee United or Raith Rovers in the final.
The town of Dingwall had emptied with more than its 5000-plus population inside Hampden to cheer on the First Division side.
However, the national stadium, disappointingly, was only around half-full for the lunchtime kick-off.
Swamped
Lennon had named the same outfield 10 for the third time in succession, with number one keeper Artur Boruc away on compassionate leave resulting in his fellow Pole Zaluska keeping his place in goal.
With Celtic effectively playing 4-2-4, County's five-man midfield swamped Hoops' captain Scott Brown and Landry N'Guemo, allowing them good early possession.
The nervy Parkhead side struggled to cope with the Highlanders' early enthusiasm, however, there was little direct threat to the Hoops' goal but in the 18th minute Zaluska was glad to tip Scott Morrison's cross over the bar as the ball curled and dipped towards the top corner.
The Parkhead men survived the corner and Marc-Antoine Fortune had a shot blocked by Iain Vigurs moments later.
Lennon, clearly frustrated by his side's lethargy, tinkered with his formation, moving Aiden McGeady in to the middle from wide on the left, playing as a support man to Robbie Keane.
Celtic began to impose themselves and Scott Boyd had to clear away a dangerous cross from Fortune who had rolled Morrison in on the right-hand side of the County box.
As the first half continued in stalemate with neither side looking like finding the breakthrough, a situation which frustrated the Celtic fans much more than their Ross County counterparts.
It looked like Lennon, who at times had hurled water bottles to the ground in rage, was trying to prove a point when he substituted the hapless N'Guemo for Marc Crosas just three minutes from the interval.
The break allowed the Irishman to sort his team out but County pressed from the start of the second half, Craig ending one move by volleying wildly over the crossbar from 16 yards.
Any notion that the Victoria Park outfit would pay for those missed chances were blown away when Craig
