Stuart Kettlewell returned to the dugout of Ross County with a reputation for blunt honesty after his side suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of fellow relegation candidates Airdrieonians. The loss cemented County's position at the bottom of the Scottish Championship and sparked fears of a second consecutive drop. Fans now hope the upcoming clash with Queen's Park can spark a revival.

County entered the season with experienced signings such as Ross Docherty and Declan Gallagher, and retained striker Ronan Hale, leading pundits to predict an immediate bounce back to the Premiership. Early optimism evaporated after a nine‑game stretch without a league win, prompting the sacking of Don Cowie and later Tony Docherty, whose tenure ended with a 6‑0 loss to Raith Rovers.

Kettlewell, fresh from a brief spell at Kilmarnock, was tasked with resurrecting a moribund squad. His first match back produced a 2‑0 win over Partick Thistle, yet cup defeats to St Johnstone and Motherwell followed. A brief lift arrived with three victories in six league games, but the last six fixtures have yielded only one point.

Queen's Park, despite losing top scorer Josh Fowler, turned their fortunes around with four wins in six games and a draw against league leaders St Johnstone, keeping playoff hopes alive. County have lost more games than any other side, scored the fewest goals and conceded the most. A victory on Friday would lift them above Airdrieonians, but survival looks unlikely.