Scottish League One REVIEW 15 Sep 2026: Ross County put eight past Queen of the South without reply

Ross County beat Queen of the South 8-0 at Victoria Park, League One's most one-sided scoreline of the season and a rearranged fixture, postponed from its original date because of Premier Sports Cup scheduling. Christopher Hamilton opened the scoring in the sixth minute, assisted by Kieran Phillips, and Brian Graham doubled the lead two minutes later from a Lewis Strapp pass. Hamilton added his second just after half-time, in the 46th minute, and Graham converted a penalty in the 56th to make it four.

Kieran Phillips scored twice more, in the 66th and 79th minutes, the second set up by A. Emslie. Richard Chin made it seven in the 80th, teed up by fellow substitute Ricco Diack, and Jamie Lindsay completed the scoring in the 89th, Phillips turning provider again. Hamilton, Graham and Phillips each scored twice.

Three of the afternoon's scorers arrived at Victoria Park on free transfers over the summer as part of a rebuild for life in League One after Ross County became the first club to suffer consecutive relegations from the Premiership to League One in the SPFL era: Graham signed from Falkirk in May, Hamilton from Dunfermline Athletic in June, and Strapp, who set up the opener, from Airdrieonians in May.

Our model had made Ross County heavy favourites before kick-off — the surest call of the round, matched by the scoreline. Ross County had gone into the match looking to reset after a mixed week, a cup exit to Hibernian and a midweek draw at East Fife, with manager Stuart Kettlewell calling for a change in mindset beforehand.