Ugandan international Uche Ikpeazu enjoyed a fairytale start to life at Ross County, scoring the decisive goal on his debut as the Staggies edged Queen’s Park 1-0 in Tuesday night’s Scottish Championship clash in Dingwall.
Fresh from sealing a late-window switch from St Johnstone, Ikpeazu was thrown straight into the action by manager Stuart Kettlewell, and the powerful striker wasted no time justifying the faith shown in him.
The 29-year-old, who arrived to fill the void left by Ronan Hale’s move to Gillingham, proved to be the difference-maker, bullying his way through the Queen’s Park backline to net the only goal of the contest and hand County a priceless three points.
It was a moment that underlined exactly why the Staggies moved swiftly in the closing hours of the window to snap up a proven target man. With previous spells at Hearts and St Johnstone in Scotland, and experience in England with Middlesbrough and Cardiff City, Ikpeazu brought both pedigree and presence to County’s frontline, qualities that were evident on debut.
The victory had major implications at the foot of the table. Ross County climbed out of the relegation zone, moving from bottom spot (10th) up to eighth with 15 points from 16 games, easing the pressure after last weekend’s setback against Morton. The defeat, meanwhile, saw Queen’s Park slip to ninth on 13 points, deepening their own survival concerns.
Kettlewell had hailed Ikpeazu’s physical presence, hunger and attitude upon his arrival, and the striker repaid that praise in the perfect way, with a match-winning contribution on night one in County colours.
