Ross County move into top six of the Scottish Premiership table for the first time this season after Joe Hungbo's penalty makes the difference against St Mirren
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Ross County 1 (Hungbo)
St Mirren 0
Ross County moved into the top half of the Scottish Premiership table thanks to a 47th minute penalty from Joe Hungbo.
They were made to work hard for the three points by a St Mirren side who battled until the very end, but lacked the quality in front of goal to get back on level terms.
With results elsewhere going their way, a third league victory in-a-row the Staggies leapfrogged Motherwell and Dundee United to move into the top six for the first time this season.
Ross County manager Malky Mackay tried to stick with a winning formula, naming an unchanged side from the team that beat Motherwell earlier in the week.
Stephen Robinson, however, made two changes to his St Mirren side, as Dean Lyness came in at goalkeeper for the absent Jak Alnwick, while Alex Grieve led the line at the other end of the pitch instead of Curtis Main.
The Staggies went into the match off the back of two wins in-a-row, while St Mirren had lost their last two, and that showed early on.
It was the home side in Dingwall who went on the front foot, playing some nice football to get into attacking areas without ever really managing to trouble Lyness.
Harry Paton and Kayne Ramsay each sent balls into the middle that had to be dealt with, and Lyness was only called into action for a Ross Callachan effort that the midfielder did not connect properly with.
St Mirren did begin to build into proceedings though, getting the ball down and playing it around a quarter of the way through the match, so it was fairly even throughout the first half.
As has so often been the case at County this season though, the game burst into life in the second half.
Jack Baldwin's long throw in from the right hand side was expertly taken down inside the box by Joe Hungbo, before the on-loan Watford man was fouled by Alex Gogic.
A penalty was given, and Hungbo stepped up to net – with a little help from the crossbar – for his second converted spot kick in four days.
Moments later there was another blow for the Buddies as Conor McCarthy was forced off injured, and Robinson elected to make an extremely attacking change by sending on Eamonn Brophy in his place.
Brophy did go close with his first sight of goal from just inside the area, sending his effort just high and wide, before fellow substitute Curtis Main tested out Ross Laidlaw's reactions at his near post.
The visitors attemtped to maintain the pressure in Dingwall, and they did start to have more of the ball and the territory, but much like their hosts in the first half they were not able to trouble Laidlaw too much.
After being unsuccessful with their initial spell of pressure, St Mirren appeared to lose their composure somewhat, playing a number of long balls forward that went straight through to Laidlaw and leaving Main and Brophy frustrated.
The image of Main throwing his arms in the air summed up the Buddies' afternoon in Dingwall, as County held on to their lead to claim all three points.
Referee: David Dickinson
Attendance: 3229 (402 away)
Yellow cards: St Mirren – Erhahon (54).
