Uche Ikpeazu headed St Johnstone to a 1-0 victory at Ross County to hand them a second successive win to start the William Hill Championship season.
Last weekend’s hat-trick hero Josh McPake squandered an early chance to give the visitors the lead after good work by Stevie Mallan and Adama Sidibeh, and McPake was unable to pick out a team-mate with his cross after finding space with 13 minutes gone.
On a night when County’s defensive resilience repeatedly thwarted the Saints at the Global Energy Stadium, Sidibeh was unable to get a touch as the ball flew across goal after the restart and Jamie Gullan went close on the turn.
Jack Baird saw a late header smuggled away and Ikpeazu mistimed another attempt as the visitors pressed for a winner, but in the meantime, Jay Henderson and Ronan Hale found themselves in the thick of a goalmouth scramble with the home side threatening to nick it.
However, Ikpeazu eventually made the breakthrough with eight minutes remaining, heading home Mallan’s cross to snatch the points.
