It was a scorcher of a day in Paisley as St Mirren caused torture upon a painfully lacklustre Ross County side.
They do say: “It’s the hope that kills you” – which is often true – but moreover on this outing for the Staggies it was the expectation which killed the joy of a 150-strong travelling County entourage.
Following two positive performances against two of the top three teams in the country, in Hearts and Celtic, a large part of the Staggies support would have been forgiven for having reams of confidence before the trip to face Stephen Robinson’s Saints side.
In the sumptuous heat it didn’t take long for the County fan confidence to be cut short.
The play was slow, as the Staggies defence knocked and spread the ball around sideways. The maintenance of possession was strong however there was a serious lack of forward penetration and intent.
Confident County calls from the north stand were soon cut short into groans of grumbling frustrations as the Highlanders were all but locked out of the game as the quick playing out from the back was nullified all too easily for the St Mirren defence.
The County full backs in the first half in particular struggled to turn the play into attack as the County wingers were doubly man marked out of the game. It was frustrating to watch and must have been even more frustrating for Malky Mackay who could only watch as his game plan didn’t come to fruition.
Despite the poor display, there was nothing between the two teams. St Mirren weren’t overly impressive. What separated the two mediocre sides was a moment of magic from Richard Tait – who cannoned a curling strike of perfection into the top corner past helpless Laidlaw.
Three games gone, three losses in a row. It’s far from ideal. But we’ve seen this story before – just remember how barren last season’s start was. But to regain hopes of reclaiming a position in the top six, the Staggies upcoming showings will have to improve.
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