Ross County manager Jim McIntyre was delighted to end a 13-game wait for a league clean sheet against Kilmarnock.
Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Rugby Park was sealed by goals from Alex Schalk and Brian Graham, but it was his side’s defensive display which pleased the County manager most.
The Dingwall club had not kept a clean sheet in the Scottish Premiership since a 3-0 success against Motherwell in November.
It was the first time the Staggies had not conceded away from home since thrashing Kilmarnock 4-0 at the same venue in August.
On-loan Leyton Orient goalkeeper Gary Woods featured for the first time in the league this year and McIntyre praised the 25-year-old for his contribution.
He said: “The one thing that has been quite annoying this year has been our lack of clean sheets.
“Sometimes that is maybe down to the way we set up the team as we like to attack teams and can leave ourselves open to the counter-attack.
“I was delighted for Gary to keep a clean sheet on his first start back in the team.
“He even got an assist to his name by setting up Brian Graham for the second goal.”
Woods is now set for a prolonged stint in the first team after confirmation the knee injury sustained by Scott Fox in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Dundee United is worse than first feared.
It means Fox will miss this month’s League Cup final against Hibernian and McIntyre added: “Scott Fox has got a tear in his medial ligament so he will go and visit the surgeon and we will decide the best course of action to take.
“He is going to be out for a minimum of eight weeks.
“It is a severe blow to Scott and also the club. We have a lot of big games coming up in the business end of the season.
“Scott has been really unfortunate as he has picked up two injuries this year.
“Both have been longer-term injuries, but that is why we signed Gary in the summer.
“We knew he was a very good goalkeeper and I wanted two goalkeepers to be competing this season.
“Gary came in against Kilmarnock and looked as if he had been there all season.
“Scott is obviously hugely disappointed. He got the news on Tuesday and it will sink in over the coming days.
“It is never nice to have to watch football games from the stand. I know what it is like as I have been in that position.
“We have a final to look forward to and Scott played a huge part in getting us there, none more so than his performance in the semi-final win against Celtic.”