Rock-bottom of the Premiership without a victory in 10 matches and with the worst goalscoring record in the division, Ross County made a mockery of the pre-match statistics to ease themselves up to eighth.
The numbers that mattered in the end were the four headers that ensured the three points headed back to the Highlands, Jay McEveley, Christopher Routis, Craig Curran and Liam Boyce leaving all used their head to leave an out-of-sorts St Johnstone stunned.
The home side threatened to stage a comeback from 3-0 behind, with Danny Swanson’s penalty making and MacLean’s thumping volley hauling them to within a goal, but Boyce ensured County put an end to a miserable run.
“Getting reminded you’ve not won for 10 games is not nice to hear,” admitted manager Jim McIntyre. “But we knew within this run there have been games where we’ve played well against the top sides in the league.
“But we needed wins to try to get us off the bottom. We’ve got to try to build that consistency now that will see us keep climbing.”
A measly 10 goals for, plus 23 conceded in 13 matches, clearly highlighted County’s problems ahead of kick-off, but they were not hamstrung by such issues as they sealed a well-deserved victory.
They even managed to withstand a worrying change in goalkeeper, with Scott Fox eventually succumbing at half-time to a foot injury, to be replaced by Aaron McCarey.
Saints were more comfortable in the opening exchanges, but it was County who would strike first and they did not look back. When a team finds goals hard to come by, set-pieces are often the best outlet and so it proved in the 24th minute. It was an opening strike that harked back to a previous era of international football as Former Scotland winger Chris Burke’s corner from the left swerved ominously into a crowded goalmouth and ex-Scotland defender McEveley reacted sharpest to head in.
Confidence oozed from the visitors thereafter, while frustration grew in equal measure in the Saints’ ranks. County’s second goal just 14 minutes after their first only served to intensified y those feelings.
The home rearguard was unnerved when Craig Curran found room on the right side of the box and did not deal properly with the loose ball when Zander Clark beat away the striker’s shot. Burke was again the provider, with a cute, chipped cross that Routis bulleted in with his head from close range.
Saints manager Tommy Wright introduced Chris Kane in attack and Tam Scobbie at the interval in search of a revival, but he was also forced into an unwanted alteration when Clark limped off soonshortly after the restart, to be replaced by Alan Mannus.
The Northern Ireland keeper’s first action was to pick the ball out of the net, after Curran had bulleted his headed it r in from Boyce’s cross in the 63rd minute.
Within two minutes, however, Swanson had fired in from the spot, after McEveley had handled Paul Paton’s netbound shot. Wright later insisted the former Scotland defender should have been sent-off but referee John Beaton disagreed and showed just a yellow card.
When Steven MacLean lashed in a volley from Brian Easton’s pinpoint delivery with 10 minutes remaining, it seemed County’s new-found zest in attack would be let down by defensive deficiencies. But it was the Saints rearguard who had reason for introspection after the match, as they conceded a fourth just four minutes later, as Boyce’s header from Kenny van der Weg’s cross ricocheted off a defender to nestle in the net.
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