The St Johnstone players showed their manager they have the capability to cope with the character test of a last week fight for Premiership survival.
And Simo Valakari is continuing to hammer home the message that “staying in the match” could be the key to emerging with their top-flight status intact for another year.
Many feared Ross County’s equaliser against the run of play towards the end of the first half in Saturday’s must-win clash would be the final nail in Saints’ coffin.
Shooting themselves in the foot had been a recurring theme over the course of the campaign, seldom with a happy ending.
But on this occasion the players said what needed to be said in the dressing room and sorted out what needed to be sorted out.
And Valakari hopes that is a sign of new-found resilience for the remaining two matches.
“We’ve shown we can respond to a big setback,” said the Finn.
“Even the best teams can be knocked down a little bit when these concede self-inflicted goals like the ones that have been scored against us.
“It happened again on Saturday.
“This time we got our rhythm back and started to do good football things.
“The players sorted a lot out for themselves in the dressing room.
“It’s normal that conceding goals affects you, but we need to make it as short as possible and stay in a match.
“That has been the message.”
Every goal counts
Life was simple when County visited McDiarmid – a victory was the only acceptable result in a bottom v second bottom head to head.
It’s back to being a two-stadium story on Wednesday though, with goal difference potentially coming into play by the time the dust has settled on Sunday evening.
“Everything matters,” said Valakari. “Potentially, every goal could matter.
“At the start of the season how much you win a game by or lose a game by isn’t a big thing at the time.
“But all the small things can come with you when it’s as tight as it is this season.
“There are only two games left, which makes that easier to understand. Every goal has a big impact.
“We all know that.
“It was all about how we did against our direct opponent in the last match.
“What has to be the same for us is that we need to get our things right and treat this game the same way.”
Tynecastle return for Uche
Uche Ikpeazu is fully fit, having been taken off after 75 minutes on Saturday.
There would be no better place than Tynecastle for a former Hearts man to score his first St Johnstone goal.
“It was a different game to Kilmarnock,” Valakari explained. “More running and actions with the ball, which took more energy out of him.
“He started to feel his body so couldn’t last a full game this time.
“I would have liked to keep him on because we knew that Ross County would get balls into the box at the end of the game, but now he’s totally fine for tomorrow night.
“He’ll be looking forward to going back to Tynecastle.
“It’s a big game for him and a big game for all of us.
“We need to keep the fight going.”
Conversation