Date	Saturday, 16 February 2013
Competition	Scottish Premier League
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:0 Saint Johnstone
Venue	Global Energy Stadium at Victoria Park
Attendance	3,516
Referee	John Beaton
Comments	Match Report Report by Charles Bannerman for the BBC. Ross County 1 Saint Johnstone 0 Ross County leapfrogged Dundee United into eighth place in the SPL and are now just a point shy of the top six following a home win over St Johnstone. Ivan Sproule made a stunning recovery from a hamstring injury to grab the only goal of the game after 11 minutes. The visitors had the bulk of play as they searched for an equaliser, with Mehdi Abeid pulling the strings. But the Dingwall side held firm and are now unbeaten in seven games where they have taken 17 of a possible 21 points. The first attack came from the visitors when Abeid ran through on goal but shot straight at Mark Brown. County wasted no time in responding and, after some good lead up work by Richard Brittain and Rocco Quinn, Sproule collected the ball at the edge of the box out on the right and lofted it into the net. This galvanised St Johnstone into action and Rowan Vine had a shot tipped past the right-hand post by Brown, who was in action again to deal with a well hit 25-yard shot from Abeid. At the other end Alex Cooper tested Alan Mannus with an oblique shot from the left but play swung back to the home end when Brown was again in action to deal with an effort from Liam Craig. Sam Morrow, provided by Evangelos Oikonomou, did have a chance to extend County's advantage but a poor effort went well wide. St Johnstone continued to press into the second half and David McCracken had a goalbound header from a corner headed clear. Then Brown proved his worth yet again when he got a foot to a shot from Craig. For a man only recently recovered from a hamstring injury, Sproule continued to contribute some dynamic running but couldn't convert after surging down the left. The hopes of the home fans rose when dead-ball specialist Richard Brittain stepped up to take a 27-yard free-kick but it fizzed past the left post. St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas was baffled by a 1-0 defeat at Ross County but home boss Derek Adams was convinced the victory was fully merited. "I think we bossed the game from start to finish," Lomas told BBC Scotland. "I think, for a neutral watching that game, there was only one team that wanted to play football." But Adams countered: "I thought we dominated the entire match and St Johnstone didn't really trouble [goalkeeper] Mark Brown." County stretched their unbeaten run to seven games thanks to a superb strike from Ivan Sproule on 11 minutes. Saints dominated for long spells after the break but could not find a way past Brown. However, Adams did not think his keeper was overly worked. "I didn't see any saves at all really," he added. "A couple of shots that were into him, but he didn't make any outstanding saves. "I don't think St Johnstone troubled us at all with the attacking options they had." Sproule, who recovered from a hamstring injury to take part in the match, has scored four goals in four games since his move north from Hibernian. "He's done very well," said Adams. "He's been a very good signing for us. "This is probably the strongest side we've had at Ross County. "We've only lost seven games out of 26, and we're just delighted to be competing." St Johnstone arrived in Dingwall with increased confidence, having eased to a 3-1 win at Hibs on Monday. And Lomas was hugely frustrated to have lost that momentum. "We tried to pass it and move it, but all credit to Ross County - they got the early goal and they're difficult to break down," he said. "I think we can feel very aggrieved that we didn't get something from this today. "I can't fault my players' effort and I can't fault them wanting to play football in the right manner. "In terms of territory and possession there was really only one team in it. In every stat going, we had the upper hand. "It tells you something when their goalkeeper's man of the match and you're away from home."
Ross County
Manager	Derek Adams
Starting 11	25: Mark Brown, 4: Grant Munro, 5: Scott Boyd, 8: Paul Lawson, 10: Richard Brittain, 12: Rocco Quinn, 16: Ivan Sproule 1, 17: Samuel Morrow, 18: Evangelos Oikonomou, 21: Alex Cooper, 22: Mihael Kovacevic
Bench	1: Michael Fraser, 7: Stuart Kettlewell, 15: Steffen Wohifarth 1, 20: Gary Glen, 23: Archie Macphee, 24: Steven Ross, 29: Mark Fotheringham
Saint Johnstone
Manager	Steve Lomas
Starting 11	Alan Mannus, Callum Davidson, Frazer Wright 1, Steven Anderson, David McCracken, Patrick Cregg, Murray Davidson, Liam Craig 1, Mehdi Abeid, Steven MacLean 1, Rowan Vine
Bench	Jonny Tuffey, Thomas Scobbie, Christopher Millar, Gwion Edwards, Michael Doughty, Gregory Tade, Nigel Hasselbaink