Scorers: Stranraer – Lang (81); Ross County – White (5 and 32) and Brophy (83)
First half strikes from Jordan White ensured Stranraer were unable to pull off a cup shock on the opening day of the season.
Both clubs enjoyed success in the play-offs at the end of last term with the Staggies securing their Premiership status and Stranraer remaining in the Scottish Professional Football League.
Coincidentally, the two clubs had met on the opening day of last season but there was little in the way of familiarity in the squads.
Just four members of the home squad who were in the starting lineup 12 months ago – Sean McIntosh, Craig Ross, Grant Gallagher and Matty Grant – were in the first eleven this time around.
Similarly, only two members of the visiting squad lined up at Stair Park in 2023.
Those two combined for the opening goal of the game when Scott Allardice played a ball over the top of the home defence.
White ran onto it and kept his cool to chip home debutant Harry Broun with just five minutes on the clock.
Despite that setback, the home side held their own for much of the first half and clocked up three corners before the half hour mark.
Unfortunately, they failed to truly test Jack Hamilton and were made to pay at the other end.
James Brown saw a lot of the ball wide on the right and he whipped in a cross that was perfect for White to nod home from barely six yards out.
Stranraer continued to try to find an opening and they were not far away early in the second half.
Ryan Edgar, making his first start for the club, produced a long throw with Ross only able to glance it across goal and wide of the target.
Just after the hour mark and the visitors could have added further to their advantage.
Again, Brown was involved with his cross taking a slight deflection and beating Broun, only to come back off the crossbar.
Immediately, Stranraer surged up the other end and called Hamilton into action.
Substitute Tam Orr raced through but with the angle narrowing opted to pick out a team-mate.
Fellow replacement Dean Hawkshaw got a first-time shot away but it was too close to the visiting number one, who gathered at the second attempt.
Hawkshaw then came close with a free-kick before Stranraer got themselves back into the game.
Orr played the ball through for Deryn Lang to race onto and he calmly lobbed Hamilton to half the deficit.
Unfortunately, Stranraer were only a goal behind for a matter of minutes as Eamonn Brophy managed to divert Brown’s cross beyond the reach of Broun and restore the two-goal advantage.
Defeated but plenty of positives to take from the game as Stranraer now head to Kirkcaldy to take on Raith Rovers.
Stranraer: Broun, McIntosh, Cummins, C Ross, Brindley, Gallagher, McKnight (Ecrepont 71), Russell (Lang 71), Grant (McQueen 71), Dunlop (Hawkshaw 59), Edgar (Orr 59).
Not used: Hughes, Adam and Pazikas.
Ross County: Hamilton, Brown, Leak, Wright (Efete 59), Lamie, Allardice (Telfer 59), Loturi (Samuel 79), White, Brophy, Macleod (Harmon 70), Reid (Williamson 70).
Not used: Smith, L Ross, Ewan and Laidlaw.
Referee: Lloyd Wilson
Attendance: 515
HT: 0-2
Photos: Bill McCandlish
