It was another frustrating McDiarmid Park afternoon for St Johnstone and another home defeat.
County arrived in Perth without a win in 10 games but they didn’t look like a foot of the league side in this encounter, and it was a familiar story for Saints of dropping points to bottom six teams on their own turf.
In recent weeks Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle and now the Staggies have left town with all the points.
There were two first half goals from Jay McEveley and Christopher Routis, followed by one after the break from Craig Curran.
Danny Swanson pulled one back from the penalty spot and then Steven MacLean scored on 80 minutes to set up a potentially nervy last 10 for the visitors.
Liam Boyce steadied the ship however with an 84th minute deflected goal – their fourth headed goal of the game.
There was an early injury scare for County when Steven Anderson hung out a leg as keeper Scott Fox tried to kick the ball forward from the edge of his box. It was only after a couple of minutes of treatment that Fox was able to get back on his feet. Anderson received a booking for his challenge.
Saints dominated possession from the off but it was the 15 minute mark before their first near thing.
Danny Swanson’s cute reverse ball put MacLean through but he stumbled just before he was about to try and take it round Fox and that was the end of that.
Dominance of possession and territory was shown to be pretty worthless when the visitors took the lead on 24 minutes.
They won a corner when Michael Gardyne’s shot was deflected over and Zander Clark appeared a bit indecisive from Chris Burke’s inswinger, with McEveley heading home.
A couple of minutes later Clark and Joe Shaughnessy went down after clattering into each other under a high ball and the big keeper came off worst.
The first thing he had to deal with after the game re-started was another corner sent over on top of him and he dealt very well with it.
Clark could do nothing about County’s second on 38 minutes though.
He made a decent save from Curran but seconds later a ball was chipped to the back post, from where Routis guided a header back across the keeper.
County keeper Fox had to be replaced at half-time, while Saints boss Tommy Wright sent on Chris Kane and Tam Scobbie for Liam Craig and Joe Shaughnessy.
There was the rare sight of both sides having sub goalies on the pitch when, five minutes into the second half, Clark also succumbed to his earlier back injury and Alan Mannus came on for him.
Curran made it 3-0 on 63 minutes with a glancing header but the deficit was reduced to two just a couple of minutes later when Swanson converted a penalty after McEveley handled a Blair Alston shot.
From looking dead and buried Saints were back in it when MacLean bundled home a lovely Brian Easton cross from the left on 80 minutes.
County fans’ panic was short-lived, however, as on 84 minutes a Boyce header was deflected past Mannus.
