Aaron Muirhead scored an 89th-minute penalty as Arbroath moved level on points with St Johnstone and Raith at the top of the Scottish Championship after a 2-1 victory over winless Ross County.
County’s new manager Tony Docherty was in the dugout for the first time, but he could not change their fortune as James Scott and Alex Iacovitti both had goals ruled out as the club slipped to the bottom of the table after just two draws in five matches.
Their fate was sealed late on after on-loan Jacob Macintyre, who only joined from Hibernian on Friday, was brought down by Declan Gallagher and Muirhead kept his cool from the spot.
Nikolay Todorov’s bullet header from Craig Watson’s 31st-minute delivery, his third goal in five league matches, put Arbroath in front, but County almost equalised just after half-time when Akil Wright’s header hit the crossbar.
Watson’s 58th-minute handball allowed Kieran Phillips to send Aidan McAdams the wrong way from the spot for his first league goal since March, but Muirhead’s late penalty proved decisive.
