'A natural striker working in his habitat' - Former Irish League duo praised after goalscoring exploits in Scotland's Premier Sports Cup
It took Ronan Hale only 25 minutes to show Ross County fans what he’s all about after marking his club debut with a sensational goal which helped put them on the verge of Premier Sports Cup progression.
The 25-year-old joined the Scottish Premiership club from Cliftonville for an undisclosed fee earlier this month after netting 51 goals in 82 appearances, including a memorable brace as the Reds secured Irish Cup glory last season.
It was yet another incredible strike from Hale which helped get County back on level terms in their clash with Hamilton Academical, who announced the signing of Glentoran winger Daire O’Connor on Tuesday, with the attacker’s fine flicked finish ultimately helping set up a 2-1 victory as Don Cowie’s side continued their unbeaten campaign.
“We know what Ronan is capable of, he’s a goalscorer,” Cowie said in his post-match press conference. “It was a fantastic finish from him, and it came at a really important time for us in terms of getting back in the game.
“It’s another goal for Jordan (White), four in three is a great start for him and it keeps that momentum going. It proved to be the winner for us, so it was another really important goal.”
It was also a memorable evening for Hale’s former Cliftonville strike partner Ben Wilson, who continued his tremendous goalscoring run since joining Airdrieonians by netting against Premiership outfit Aberdeen.
Wilson fired in 18 league goals for Jim Magilton’s side last term after arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion and opened the scoring in the first-half at Pittodrie to give his side a shock lead.
They ultimately lost out 2-1, but Wilson has enjoyed a tremendous start to life with his new club, now netting five goals in three appearances after producing a debut hat-trick against East Kilbride before following it up by scoring in a 4-3 victory over Dumbarton.
After his finish into the bottom corner, the Premier Sports commentator declared: “Airdrieonians seem to have unearthed a gem in Ben Wilson.”
There was also praise from former Northern Ireland international Stephen Craigan, who was working on co-commentary, saying: “What a classy finish...it falls to Wilson and it’s just an assured, composed reverse ball. He’s a natural striker working in his habitat.”
Former Glentoran defender Aidan Wilson also started for Airdrieonians – his third consecutive 90 minutes since joining from The Oval outfit this summer.