It wasn't pretty, but we got there in the end.

Just happy to win this one in all honesty. That's 22 points from a possible 24, so we've nearly gone an entire quarter of the season without defeat at this point.

Long may it continue... albeit with prettier performances!

I'd take plenty scrappy wins if it meant promotion at the end of the season

I wasn't there, but to be honest I predicted earlier in the week that we would be edged out in this game.

Not a disaster for us, just a shame both Morton and Dundee below us got full points, and with us not playing in the league next week it gives them a chance to close the gap / overtake us.

Were all goals headers ??

Morton dont play next week either as they were due to play Airdrie.

Yeah they were all headers.

They were indeed.

hardie scored his from a corner, Samuel scored his from a good cross coming from the left and McCulloch got his after Main flapped at a cross.

Ross County were probably the better team in the first half and yet we got through it without conceding and sneaked a goal right before half time. It's stuff like that that makes me think that we have a team that might very well win the league.

Word up to the 80-90 County fans that came down. Whore of a journey back up in the dark.

Not a vintage performance by any means, but a good win. We started well, carving out two good chances in the first couple of minutes through Sheerin and Milne. The next 43 minutes was brutal stuff until Hardie scored.

We picked it up a bit in the second half, with Souter saving well from Millar who had our best chance when Milne played him in. He really should have done better. Very well worked second goal with good play down the left and a pinpoint cross from Sheerin for Samuel to head home. We then conceded a silly goal two minutes later setting up a tense finale, but held on with County going down to 10 men when one of their players was injured after they had made all three subs.

Satisfied with the three points of course, but we need to pick up the performance level again next week.

Special word for the ref and his linesman on the East Stand side. What a pair of incompetent tossers. Missed some of the most blatant handballs you will ever see, and just made up what way throw ins should go constantly. Quite late on a County guy slid in with both feet off the ground and played both the ball and Chris Millar. Should have been a free kick to us or at worst a throw in because one of his legs about three feet off the ground played the ball out with Millar nowhere near. Result - throw to County. They just saw stuff that wasn't there throughout!

Do you know who the injured player was?
Hope its not too serious with the cup final looming.

It was your number 10 if that helps any?

Number 10. He was playing really well, winning the ball in the air left, right and centre.

It was Steven Craig.

I thought we were ok for the first 15-20 minutes but then just seemed to stop playing. County improved and that played it's part, with us going for the easy long option too often. Needed Hardie's goal when it came but didn't really improve in the second half until County started committing more men forward in search of a goal. Main made a good block from Craig then moments later a great Sheerin cross leaves Samuel with an easy header. Poor goal to concede after that but the positive is it again acts as a reminder to the players and gives us something to work on this week.

County came to Perth in good form though and the three points shouldn't be taken for granted, as far better that than what happened two years ago when we went to Dingwall and played probably our best 45 minutes football of the season, only to draw 2-2.

A great 3 points. Not our best performance by a long way with plenty passes going astray. To be fair though County were pretty poor , although they did have a few chances including a glorious one in the first half which should have resulted in a goal but the boy bottled it and screwed it wide.Main also made 1 great save when he stood up well after their boy had worked the ball along the bye-line.Back to saintees though and we should have been 2 up in the first 5 minutes. Hardie had a couple of great chances but failed to find the back of the onion bag.Saints then went a wee bit flat but Ross County never looked over like taking advantage.Caff went of and was replace by Ando( surely an injury).Then just as the half-time whistle was approaching and it looked like we'd go in all square , hardie rose well at the back post after a corner which was won by the persistence of Sheerinio.

Second half we were again misplacing passes and for me Millar had one of his worst games( He has been so good every time though so even though I thought it was his worst, he was still pretty good).We created a few good chances in the second half and really should have put the game to bed , but a combination of good goalkeeping from Soapy Soutar, bad finishing and bad luck meant we went into the last 15 minutes with the slenderest of leads.
Swankie was replaced by Jody to great applause.Morris first contribution was to fire a cross field pass to no one in particular which went straight out. With a few run outs behind him though I think he will be pivotal if we are to secure promotion.Sammy then replaced Sherlock who had started of wonderfully well, winning everything in the air again, but faded after the break.Millar then had a easy chance to open his account for Saints and make the game safe, but from close in 1 on 1 with Soutar he shot straight at him.
Much to the Saints fans delight ( and a little relief) the second came when Sammy rose to head home a good cross from the left. Game over, don't you believe it.Saints did what Saints do sometimes. They shut off for a few seconds and allowed County back into the game with a headed goal out of nothing much. County then went down to 10 men when an injury forced out their number 10.They had, by this point used all 3 subs.The last few minures were torturous but the players did the right thing , got the ball into the corner and ran down the clock.
As someone has already stated, teams that win the league are teams that can play below par and still come away with the win.Saints were that type of team today.I'm very pleased with the points today. Well done Saints. Great grit and determination ...A few other things of note. Hardie picked up another booking and I believe that rules him out of the Dundee game on the 29th.

The referee, Mr.McDonald was fucking awful ( for both sides).He gave fouls when there were none and missed some blatant fouls. Every week I think the ref must be better than the last, and every week they prove me wrong.

And it was good to see on the scoreboard that at half time that Airdrie were drawing 0-0 with STOKE...
Great to see other results go our way as well..........
So 4 points clear, two weeks at the top and no chance of being knocked off top spot next week whatever happens..Onwards and upwards...

Come on you Saints....

Not a great spectacle but points in the bag so job done. County were tough to break down and played that 451 system pretty effectively. I was pleased that we managed to grind out the result and with wee Jody back there is real competition for places in the midfield that has been our most important area in this run.

Samuel played like a man possessed when he came on and could be worth a start next week.

4 points clear, catch us if you can.

Its great to have such competition. I think its particularly important that guys like mooner, morris and samuel are putting pressure on the players in the team. In previous seasons, anytime we have been in a position like this the team has been picking itself most weeks. Becuase of this, saints would end up putting in some pedestrian performances in games we were expected to win, or not see decent performances through with enough dig to get three points(see radfords reference to 2-2 at dingwall). The players who have been playing the last few weeks know they are not going to get away with a couple of bad performances, which can only be a good thing.

TBH it was easy enough in the end, County were stubborn enough but no real danger up front.

3 points in the bag & we'll still be top this time next week.

I was listening to the open mikes bit on Radio Scotland this afternoon, and just after Colin Samuel scored they mentioned that it was his fourth goal of the season.

By my calculations that means all four of his goals this season have been against County ?

Is that true ? Unless of course they meant 4 league goals, as his first goal was in the Chalenge Cup

He has certainly scored three in the league against County now. Radford's anorak will be twitching as I type.

Just thought I'd say,

I was up in Perth for the MS convention today and you have a great City there. Nicest in Scotland IMHO.

What must you think when you come down here? Yeuk.

At least you'll be going home with smiles on your faces next week.

Yep, Samuel has scored all 4 of his goals against County.

I love Kirky, being an adopted Hillhead boy, but yes you are right.

Hilarious

That hovel in Lochee must be appealing.

You've spelt that wrong.....is it not........A P P A L L I N G.

Seasons gone by, I have watched us fail to take advantage of our rivals dropping points by doing likewise ourselves. Today, that was not the case. Livingston, Queens and Dunfermline all dropping points presented us with an opportunity to create a gap between ourselves and second place. I'm very pleased to have won despite not playing so well and go four points clear.

Saintees to win the league by at least 12 clear points. Best team in the league by a mile.

Why would you know?

were you at the games?

no

So what?

I know about these sort of things. Its a pish league and you are the best team and have the strongest squad. Just accept that I am right and get on with the rest of your life young man.

12 clear points.

It's as strong a league as it's been in four or five years I think.

Interesting that the press reckoned it was a comfortable victory for Saints, as the general opinion amongst the fans seems to be that we huffed and puffed for about 70 minutes. I think we'll need to play better away from home next week to win the match.

Exactly. It's a pish league.

You know you're on for the league but you are refusing to admit it. You are adopting the same strategy as a manager that knows his team are going to win the league but is trying hard not to do a huge GIRFUY to anyone that has annoyed him previously.

Thank you for your confidence and support in regard to our title aspirations. May I suggest though, that in order for us to be guaranteed 12 points next season should we go up , that you concern yourself more with the plight of your team , The Midden, who when I last looked seemed to be getting dangerously near the SPL trapdoor.

We will be fine. we will finish ninth or tenth at worst.

I predicted a 12 point win for you lot at the start of the season. I'm never wrong.

TBH once we were in front I couldn't see County equalising. I suppose in that way it was comfortable but still a bit of a struggle.

Hope you're right Reynard. Also hope you stay up as your new ground's only 25 mins away by train fae ma hoose. Will still get off at Gilmour St when I return to Sin City.

A word from the wise. Millar has spells and even games when he fades completely out of things. I'm not saying he stops trying, he just becomes less and less effective. That happened at Cappielow last season and he was relegated to the bench for a few games. He then got back into the team and was twice the player he was even when playing well before he got dropped.

So there you have it. Millar benefits from an occasional spell out of the team - it just seems to make him even more determined and he's the kind of guy who will take it on the chin and go off and train twice as hard and/or work on his weaknesses.

Apart from being a very good player at first division level, he is an outstanding professional and a nice guy too.

Don't suppose we could have him back if we asked nicely?

fraid not

also i think holmes is not doing enough in these sort of games, and when sammy replaced him he got onto the long balls holme shad been missig

i think now sammy is fit he should be starting games as he is the type of skillful striker with pace saints have been missing since jackson got injured

Of course I am.

Sin City