Ross County dropped into the relegation play-off spot after opening their post-split campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Kilmarnock.
The two sides had been level on points prior to the Rugby Park encounter, with Killie gaining an early post-split advantage on Don Cowie’s men by claiming the victory.
Allied with County’s own defeat – their fifth on the bounce – Dundee’s victory over Hearts at Tynecastle saw them leapfrog the Staggies into 10th spot.
With little to show between the sides throughout most of the first half, Killie took the lead through Bruce Anderson’s 37th minute header.
The game opened up in the second half as County made a number of attacking changes in an effort to find a way back into the game, however it was the home side who doubled their lead on 70 minutes through Liam Donnelly.
Here are three things we learned from a disappointing afternoon for the Staggies in Ayrshire.
Staggies left in dangerous position
With four games of the Premiership campaign remaining, County are in a position they do not want to be in.
Having already fallen behind Killie following the defeat in Ayrshire, the Staggies are also now trailing Dundee by two points following their victory at Tynecastle.
County are by no means resigned to their fate, in the same way as Killie and the Dark Blues will not feel they are out of trouble.
Having lost five matches on the bounce, the magnitude of each coming fixture intensifies – starting with next weekend’s visit of Hearts.
County are eager to avoid a third successive relegation play-off, while also not giving any encouragement to bottom side St Johnstone who they remain six points clear of.
Cowie knows the tide has to turn quickly – but he retains belief in his players.
He said: “We can get away from this – it’s in our own hands.
“There has still got to be an honesty in terms of the run of form we are in and we have got to rectify that and put it to a stop.
“We have a home game next week against Hearts – we have a long journey up the road now and that’s time to feel sorry for ourselves.
“We then need to come back to work on Monday morning with a clear mindset that we are ready to perform next week.
“I think the fundamentals of being a Ross County player is that we have to earn everything and scrap for everything we get.
“We are in a run of form for us that it’s not happening for us right now. But prior to that we won three out of four games, which shows we are capable when we do things right collectively. That will be my message.”
Staggies performance lacked cutting edge
Albeit glimpses of flair were few and far between for both sides, Killie showed more spark when it mattered most.
The opening goal came around through clever play from Danny Armstrong to pick out Anderson, who peeled away from his back post marker to nod past Jordan Amissah.
Youngster Bobby Wales also showed some neat flashes in the home side’s efforts to trouble the Staggies defence.
County struggled to get the same nuisance factor from their forwards players. Ronan Hale came closest in the first half, when he flashed his effort wide of target after a neat knock-down from Akil Wright.
Cowie made a number of attacking changes in an effort to inject more spark into his side, with Nisbet and Alex Samuel among those brought on.
They continued to struggle to test Kieran O’Hara, with Kilmarnock clinically doubling their advantage with 20 minutes remaining when the ball broke loose inside the box for Donnelly to guide past Amissah.
Cowie was disappointed with the end product shown by his side, adding: “I didn’t think there was much in the game in the first half.
“The first goal is always important and Danny Armstrong showed a great bit of quality with his cross.
“That allowed Killie to have that bit of confidence and freedom and we then had to chase it to get back into the game which gave them that opportunity to exploit us.
“We had four of five corners – people speak about us being a big physical team – and every one of them hits the first man.
“Those are big moments that we have to do better with.”
Allardice suffers setback on return
Cowie opted to shake up his side for the trip to Ayrshire, with Scott Allardice one of two players drafted in from the side defeated by St Mirren last time out.
Jonathan Tomkinson also returned to the side, with James Brown and Josh Nisbet dropping to the bench.
It was Allardice’s first start since a 2-1 defeat to St Mirren on December 21, as he partnered Connor Randall and Nohan Kenneh in the heart of midfield.
Allardice has struggled for game-time since making the switch from Caley Thistle nearly two years ago, through a combination of injury and non-selection.
The 27-year-old’s ability on the ball has never been in question however, and he showed an intention to spark counter-attacks with his tidy range of passing.
Allardice’s afternoon came to an end when he limped off just before the hour mark however, with Nisbet brought on to replace him.
Player ratings
KILMARNOCK (4-2-3-1): O’Hara 6; Mayo 7, Findlay 7, Deas 7, Ndaba 7; Watson 6, Donnelly 6; Armstrong 7 (Ramsay 80), Murray 6, Wales 7 (Cameron 90); Anderson 6 (Watkins 80).
Subs not used: McCrorie, McKenzie, Vassell, Mackay-Steven, Cameron, Ramsay, Watkins, Polworth.
ROSS COUNTY (3-5-2): Amissah 6; Tomkinson 6, Lopata 5 (Efete 46), Campbell 6; Wright 6, Randall 6, Kenneh 5 (Samuel 53), Allardice 6 (Nisbet 58), Ashworth 6 (Phillips 76); White 6, Hale 6.
Subs not used: Ross, Brown, Grieves, Harmon, Smith.
Referee: Nick Walsh
Attendance: 5,425
Man of the match: Bobby Wales
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