It wasn’t Wright call for County to finish first win in 11 with 11 players, says Tommy
Tommy Wright insists St Johnstone should have had an extra man for 25 minutes after Ross County ended their 10-game winless run at his side’s expense.
The McDiarmid Park boss believes defender Jay McEveley, whose first County goal put the Highlanders one up, deserved to see red rather than yellow after handling in the box.
But Wright’s frustration over ref John Beaton’s decision didn’t stop him letting rip at his Saints’ defensive display as the Staggies climbed off bottom spot with four headed goals.
Liam Boyce nodded the final blow after Danny Swanson reduced the away side’s three- goal cushion to two from the penalty spot and Steven MacLean pulled it back to 3-2.
Wright said: “We showed character to get back into the game at 3-2. It was a poor decision by the referee as they could have been down to 10 men and we were in the ascendency then.
“The Ross County player should have been sent off and I told the referee that – but he disagreed with me. The referee said he would take a look at it and ring me.
“The ball is clearly going into the net and there are no players in the frame of the goal who are going to influence the ball. The referee did not think the ball was going in and that is why he has only given a yellow card, which is a strange decision.
“He has made his decision and I think it is the wrong one.
“All four goals were far too easy for them and individuals have to accept responsibility for that. As a manager, we have conceded four goals I would not like to see over a four-month period. We have had to endure them over 90 minutes, which is not acceptable.”
Jim McIntyre’s troops desperately needed a win after failing to take three points since a 2- 0 victory over Kilmarnock on August 20.
However, history favoured the Saints with Wright’s men unbeaten against County in their previous five Premiership meetings.
Still, it was the Staggies who took the lead on 24 minutes when former Rangers winger Chris Burke floated over a corner and McEveley powered
a downward header through a ruck of bodies from eight yards out.
County doubled their lead 14 minutes later when Boyce set up Craig Curran for a shot that McDiarmid Park keeper Zander Clark beat high into the air.
The bal l then broke back to Curran who laid it into the path of Burke and his teasing cross from the right was headed high into the net by Christopher Routis from six yards.
Staggies No. 1 Scott Fox was replaced at the interval by Aaron McCarey after taking a knock.
And Saints suffered a similar blow five minutes into the second half when Clark was forced off injured to be replaced by Alan Mannus, back between the sticks four days on from starting for Northern Ireland in their 3- 0 friendly defeat to Croatia.
Clark left the field holding his hip after failing to shake off a knock from midway through the first half.
County hadn’t netted two in a single game since their last league victory yet found themselves three up when Curran glanced a header past Mannus on 63 minutes.
But Saints were thrown a lifeline two minutes later when McEveley handled Blair Alston’s shot and Swanson scored his 11th of the season.
Saints weren’t finished, though, as MacLean hammered home from close range with 10 minutes left. However, Boyce guaranteed a first win in 11 games when he met Kenny van der Weg’s 84th-minute cross and the ball deflected in off Tam Scobbie.
The victory moves the Staggies up to eighth and McIntyre said: “Getting reminded you haven’t won in 10 games isn’t nice to hear so it is great we got a win.
“We’ve played well in some games in this run but we knew we needed some wins to get us off the bottom.
“That was our aim first and foremost because you never want to be down there. We need to try to build that consistency that can keep us climbing the league.”