Ross County 0-1 Dundee: Boss Derek Adams fumes at 'shocking' league standard
- Published
'One of the worst games I've ever seen'
Derek Adams slammed the standard of Scottish football after his Ross County side lost to Dundee in the Premiership with the last kick of the game.
Joe Shaughnessy's dramatic 96th-minute winner gave Dundee victory, but Adams took aim at the quality on show in the entire division, as well as lamenting his side's performance.
"The standard is shocking. It's one of the worst games I've ever seen," Adams told BBC Sportsound.
"I've been back and I see the standard and I think 'wow - any chance?' If I'm a spectator watching this today, I'm thinking 'is this what Scottish football is all about?' It needs to up its game."
County were unlucky to fall to defeat as Shaughnessy diverted Alex Samuel's clearance towards goal in the 96th minute after Luke McCowan's free-kick hit the post.
Adams added: "I've left a team down in League Two that's miles better than this team. Miles. That's saying something. We had the bottom budget in League Two, and they were 100 times better than this."
Dundee remain seventh but move three points behind sixth-placed Hibernian, while County drop a spot to ninth.
Last week's defeat by St Mirren was Adams' first loss in his third spell as County manager and he seemed to get a decent reaction from his side against Dundee.
They were back to the team that looked hard to break down, throwing themselves in front of shots and nipping the visitors' counters in the bud.
Jordan McGhee was doing the same job in the Dundee backline. First, he stopped a Ben Purrington header at the back post before blocking Simon Murray's drive on the line.
Amadou Bakayoko had Dundee's best opportunity when Owen Beck whipped a corner high to the back post. The Sierra Leone striker got high - too high - and could only nod over.
The final County chance came to James Brown, who reacted quickest when Trevor Carson saved from Eamonn Brophy but he could only skew over from a few yards out.
In the dying stages, Dundee made their late charge - spearheaded by Beck. From a corner, he rounded three players and shot on his right but Laidlaw stuck a foot out and it went behind.
Then came McCowan's free-kick. The midfielder smacked the upright as Laidlaw stood motionless. He was still rooted to the spot when the ball rebounded in off Shaughnessy.
Player of the Match - Owen Beck (Dundee)
He lifts this Dundee team with his driving runs and superb tackling. A gem who should go onto bigger things
Dee-light as County floored with late punch - analysis
Adams said before the game that County had squandered plenty of chances in the 2-0 loss to St Mirren. They did the same again here.
This time though, it seemed they wouldn't gift any soft goals. That was until the 96th minute, when Alex Samuel's clearance hit off Shaughnessy.
The Dundee skipper couldn't believe his luck. He was merely stood in the right place at the right time and County left with nothing, despite all their endeavour.
As for the visitors, they've refused to say die on a few occasions this season. With their contemporaries floundering, they're making hay while the sun shines.
What they said
Ross County manager Derek Adams: "I'm so disappointed. We've been done with a sucker punch but in the final third we have to be better. I can't change the standard at this moment in time. I'm so frustrated."
Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "It's always brilliant to get a last-minute winner. We've been victim of that a few times this season - Motherwell game, St Johnstone earlier in the season.
"I tell the players it's important that we're consistent because we'll recover those players, that's what happened today. I couldn't be more pleased for the players, they're a really hard working group with a great mentality - they always go to the death."
What's next?
Ross County host Hibernian next Saturday, while Dundee welcome Aberdeen (both 15:00 GMT).