EVEN when victory was a necessity and it looked as if they’d done their own job, Ross County still couldn’t get three points.
Wins, just six of them, have been as rare for Ross County this season as a sunny day in Dingwall and, and as the sun set on a fine day in Perth, David Wotherspoon’s curling injury-time equaliser for St Johnstone was typical of the relegated club’s campaign.
The damage under Jim McIntyre up until September – though perhaps getting rid of the League Cup-winning manager was the real problem – and then especially under the brief and catastrophic reign of Owen Coyle, cut short on March 1, had already been done.
But for an hour or so, until Partick Thistle scored the goal that got them the win at Dundee that secured a play-off spot against Livingston, Ross County had real hope.
Co-manager Stuart Kettlewell had claimed prior to kick-off his side weren’t going to go “gung-ho” in their approach, and the surprise decision to put Alex Schalk on the substitute’s bench suggested as such.
Forget gung-ho, it was a Gurkha charge at the start. Michael Gardyne had already had a shot blocked in the opening seconds, when, in the third minute, Ross County made it count.
Right-back Jason Naismith fired a low cross-shot from the angle of the penalty area that was deflected into the path of Craig Curran at the back post, who side-footed under Alan Mannus, captaining St Johnstone in his final game for the club, and into the net.
There was a blow when captain Andrew Davies hobbled off in the 14th minute, replaced by Harry Souttar as Marcus Fraser took over the armband. But Gardyne then tested Mannus with a curling shot. Where had this penetration been all season?
After a period of St Johnstone pressure, however, Scott Tanser was desperately unlucky to see his dipping strike from the angle of the penalty box land on top of Scott Fox’s net and not in it.
But if that was close, Mattias Kait came even closer for County when, after recovering from his initial fresh air swipe, he thudded a shot off the crossbar from a Curran knockdown.
This greatly encouraged the travelling fans who continued their cries of ‘we are staying up’.
And Curran’s turn and shot from the edge of the box in first-half injury time that required Mannus to tip over lent credence to that.
In the 55th minute, Jamie Lindsay, on loan from Celtic, should have done better than tamely curl a free-kick from the edge of the box low into the waiting arms of Mannus.
But then Thistle scored and what mattered at McDiarmid Park for Ross County was preserving a lead and praying Dundee, who had defeated the Dingwall outfit just days earlier, could equalise.
St Johnstone, whose manager Tommy Wright described their display as “brutal” and that home form had been their “Achilles heel” this season, saw David McMillan tuck home George Williams’ cut-back, but the flag was up for offside.
Curran then had a golden opportunity to clinch the match for County, robbing Jason Kerr of the ball out on the right and cutting in only to shoot wide of the near post with his left foot when excellently placed.
Wotherspoon brought out a good save from Scott Fox in the closing minutes, but then, just as County looked to have at least sealed the three points, the St Johnstone No.10 struck.
Substitute Callum Hendry played a one-two with Joe Shaughnessy and when his cross was cleared only as far as Wotherspoon, he expertly placed the rebound into the top corner with his left foot after his initial shot was blocked.
As the departing Mannus, Chris Millar and Steven MacLean said their farewells to the St Johnstone support, Ross County trooped off knowing this was their goodbye to the Premier League.
Kettlewell admitted relegation was “difficult to take”, and added, “things will change a lot in the coming months.”
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