Summer signing Graham Cummins maintained his impressive start to his first season in Scottish football by claiming his third goal in as many games.
The former Exeter and Preston centre followed up goals from the bench against Hearts and Inverness with a smartly-taken equaliser in his first start to chisel out a point for the Perth side.
Saints had again looked uncertain at the back in a frustrating first half for their fans in a 3,065 crowd and were relieved to retreat to the dressing room trailing only to a 17th minute opener from Craig Curran, his third in two matches for the Staggies.
But they were a different proposition after the interval and, in a mirror image of the weekend display which secured a point against Inverness, Tommy Wright’s side earned a point with a more convincing second half performance.
There was a pre-match boost for Perth skipper Dave Mackay, appearing in the squad for the first time since undergoing major hip surgery in May.
Brad McKay was restored to central defence and within 90 seconds Curran collected a yellow card for a challenge.
Home keeper Alan Mannus was tested in the fifth minute when Andrew Davies powered in a back post header from Michael Gardyne’s floated cross.
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The Northern Ireland international got his angles right and pushed away the County captain’s troublesome effort.
Cummins tested keeper Scott Fox with a hooked shot but, having raced from his line to thwart Jackson Irvine at close quarters, exposed Mannus was beaten in the 17th minute.
Once again his central defence was suspect and Curran gleefully stroked home the opener after seeing off Tam Scobbie in a sprint to latch onto a ball threaded through by Liam Boyce.
Staggies defender Craig Robertson was next into referee Alan Muir’s book for a tug on Cummins and was later joined by Scobbie and Brian Easton.
Summer signing John Sutton rose unmarked to meet a David Wotherspoon corner but his goal-bound header struck a blue jersey before Craig lashed the rebound high over the crossbar.
But Saints survived a 37th minute scare when Raffa de Vita looked ready to stab home Gardyne’s cross from point blank range only for covering defender McKay to desperately scramble the ball inches wide.
A fluid three-man move dissected the home backline but Mannus stood up to roving midfielder Ian McShane and prevented the former Queen of the South player’s low strike finding the net.
Six minutes after half-time a blistering O’Halloran run left three County defenders in his wake and this time his cutback was made to measure for Cummins but with the goal gaping the Irishman bundled his shot off the post.
The leveller was only on hold for 60 seconds, though, and again the Staggies found star turn O’Halloran too hot to handle. This time when the ball broke, Cummins swivelled and made no mistake from 12 yards.
County came close to snatching a winner when Mannus fumbled a free-kick pumped deep into his penalty area.
The loose ball fell for de Vita but the Italian was unable to direct his 16-yard lob on target.
Attendance: 3,065
St Johnstone: Mannus, Shaughnessy, McKay, Scobbie, Brian Easton, Wotherspoon (Lappin 74), Davidson, Craig, O’Halloran, Cummins (Kane 73), Sutton (MacLean 83). Subs not used: Mackay, Clark, Caddis, Brown.
Ross County: Fox, Fraser, Robertson, Davies, Foster, Gardyne, Irvine, McShane (Quinn 85), De Vita (Dingwall 68), Curran, Boyce (Graham 77). Subs not used: Holden, Franks, Murdoch, Bachmann.