Mark Ridgers: Players want to go down on a high

Mark Ridgers: Only beaten by a penalty. Picture: SNS

Goalkeeper Ridgers inspired the doomed Paisley side to a surprise 2-1 win at the Global Energy Stadium.

Ridgers, who was at County as a youngster, defied his old team with a string of super saves, ably assisted by a resolute defence. Ridgers was only beaten from the penalty spot when Martin Woods gave the home side the lead just after the half-hour mark. But Stephen Mallan’s deflected drive shortly afterwards squared matters.

It was largely one-way traffic towards the St Mirren goal in the second half, but in a last-minute break substitute Lewis Morgan was fouled by County goalkeeper Mark Brown.

Referee Steven McLean sent off Brown and Steven Thompson converted the spot-kick to the delight of the small contingent of St Mirren fans behind the goal.

Motherwell’s 3-1 win over Kilmarnock on Friday had relegated St Mirren, and Ridgers admitted that was not the best preparation for the trip north.

He said: “That result didn’t help us but at the end of the day we have to be professional to see out the rest of the games in a professional way and take every game as it comes.

“Overall it has been a disappointing season but this has been a bit of a boost after Friday night’s result.”

He added: “Ross County had a lot of chances, they will be disappointed, but as long as it stayed 1-1 we always had a chance to nick a goal – and we did that with the penalty.”

Ridgers praised his team-mates for their backs-to-the-wall performance.

He said: “The whole team was incredible. Jason Naismith, for instance, put four unbelievable blocks in, It goes to show you we are not ready to lie down yet, we are going to try and finish the season positively.”

Midfielder Jackson Irvine felt it just was not County’s day, and they may still need points to be sure of survival, with Motherwell striving to escape the play-off place.

He said: “We are extremely disappointed but it was one of those days when the chances don’t go in. You have those days when the ball just won’t hit the back of the net.

“If we managed to scrape a point that would have put us above Kilmarnock, and there would have been two teams in between us and that play-off place. But it is still in our own hands. We have another home game next week to put it right.”