Scott Thomson Post Ross County

Nipper's penalty claim: "It was definite penalty. I took a touch and was about to swing with my left foot when the defender caught me just above my thigh.

Scott Thomson was Manager Jim McIntyre's Man of the Match at Dingwall having contributed to the first goal and having held the defence together after the enforced change when his central defensive partner Greg Shields was forced to retire before half time. Nipper was pleased to have a part to play in the opening goal:-

"The Gaffer was telling me to go round the back post, he usually gets me into trouble because I don't usually get on the run when I am supposed to. This time I felt I had get in to the back post, I got a free header lucky enough and I put it back in for Woodsy to catch it sweet to knock the ball into the net. It was a good start.

"It was a tough game and it was funny because I turned round to one of the boys when Stephen Bell went down and said 'I think that's us had somebody go down in the first five or ten minutes in the last four or five games. Then straight from the free kick Greg Shields went down as well and the same boy turned round to me and said that's two of your boys down now. That was unbelievable.

"Luckily enough Shieldsie played on for a wee bit but I don't know what he has done when he cleared the ball he seemed to fall awkwardly. Hopefully he will not be out too long. Bell was alright to come back on.

"We knew Ross County would come at us in the second half but we just didn't start. We have been doing that in some of the games and sometimes right from the start, like last week. They got the goal and for the next five or ten minutes they had chances. Luckily enough Gall pulled off a couple of good saves and after that we weathered the storm.

"It was a great reverse pass from Greg Ross, Bell picked out Kirky for a great finish. After that I felt really comfortable."

Nipper felt that he had been denied a penalty immediately after Ross County had notched their equaliser.

"It was definite penalty. I took a touch and was about to swing with my left foot when the defender caught me just above my thigh. Even one of the opposition turned round to me and said 'I think that is a penalty.' I thought it was a penalty as well. Sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't.

"It was a great result - just what we wanted. A bit of consistency and we just need to keep that going. We battled well at Dingwall, it wasn't the greatest of games - neither was the last one up there when we got beat. It was a bit flat, but the good point about the game was that we ground out a result.

"We beat Aberdeen, we beat St Mirren as well and played well against Dundee United. Craig Levein said at the time that we had been the better team for a long spell in the game, so we have nothing to fear and we go into the Semi Final with optimism and hope to progress to the Final again."