St Johnstone started 2021 as they finished 2020, with a draw.
Craig Conway’s penalty cancelled out Ross Draper’s opener for Ross County, making it nine games in the Premiership without a win for Saints.
The McDiarmid Park side took control in the second half but ended up needing heroics from Zander Clark on two occasions in the dying moments to secure their point.
Scott Tanser being named among the substitutes was great news for Saints fans after it looked like he had sustained a serious knee injury a week ago.
There wasn’t much to be enthused by in the early stages of the game, though.
After a sloppy and error-ridden start it came as little surprise that the Perth men fell behind on 21 minutes.
And the goal was of a type that has been all too common this season.
Yet another cross ball and yet another failure to react quickly enough when it was only half-cleared. On this occasion Draper was the man to cash in.
Saints were gift-wrapped a way back into the game five minutes later when Conway was brought down just inside the box by Keith Watson.
The winger took the spot-kick himself and found Ross Laidlaw’s bottom left corner.
Saints started the second period far better than they had the first but the closest thing to a goal before the hour mark was at the other end when a Stephen Kelly 20-yarder took a big deflection and just went wide of the post.
Callum Davidson’s side should have gone in front on 67 minutes.
County committed too many players forward and a Saints counter-attack resulted in a three on two and Chris Kane missing the target.
This was the visitors’ best spell of the match and on 73 minutes Laidlaw made a magnificent save to deny Liam Gordon from a Conway free-kick that Kane had flicked on.
With three minutes left Clark produced an even more spectacular one at the other end to keep out a Watson back post header from a Kelly corner that looked to be a certain goal.
Then in stoppage time Clark was at full stretch again, tipping a long range Josh Reid effort over the bar.
