POINT of NO RETURN?

McDiarmid draw is not enough to save County from the drop... the question is will they ever reach such heights again?

FOR just over an hour yesterday, the Great Escape was on as Ross County took Staggies fans on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

But in the end, their fate was not in their own hands. Instead, it was decided by events 20 miles away in Dundee, a half-hour drive past the rich berry fields of the picturesque Carse of Gowrie.

And on this occasion, it was Partick Thistle who enjoyed the richest pickings.

But County should have at least prevailed at McDiarmid Park after an early Craig Curran strike put them firmly in the driving seat in a desperate fight for survival.

But as has happened so often this season they capitulated in the end, surrendering any lingering hope of staying up when they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser.

No matter that David Wotherspoon’s strike from 25 yards was straight out of the top drawer, the midfielder should have been closed down long before he had a chance to shoot.

But you could almost sense it coming, given how often County have conceded late goals after also regularly squandering the easiest of chances.

Partick, meanwhile, live to fight another day after winning Tayside’s other Premiership crunch match to earn a play-off against Livingston.

But for County there is no escape route. They will be playing in the Championship next season.

Their six-year Premiership fairytale is over and it may be a long time before they return to Scottish football’s top table — if ever.

Roy MacGregor, whose millions funded the Dingwall dream and helped bring the League Cup to the Global Energy Stadium two years ago, should be above criticism, given what he has done for the club.

But surely he will look back on his decision to sack the management team of Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds just seven league games into the season as a huge mistake.

Owen Coyle was brought in to replace McIntyre and his brief and disastrous reign lasted barely five months before MacGregor took decisive action, but by then it was too late.

Stuart Kettlewell and Steve Ferguson were charged with trying to save the Staggies in the wake of Coyle’s managerial mayhem. For all their efforts, the duo never really had more than a fighting chance and fully deserve to be exonerated of blame.

Yet, County made the sort of start yesterday they would not have dared dream about after launching an immediate and sustained offensive.

Saints were under pressure inside 20 seconds when the ball ran free in the 18-yard box and County winger Michael Gardyne had a shot blocked.

Much better was to come from the visitors with barely three minutes on the clock after Saints’ makeshift defence was again exposed.

This time a shot from Jason Naismith deflected off Joe Shaughnessy and fell for Curran on the left of the six-yard box, giving the striker time to compose himself and pick his spot.

The alarm bells sounded for County when they lost their skipper Andrew Davies after 14 minutes, apparently with a recurrence of the calf injury that troubled the central defender earlier in the season.

Davies was replaced by Harry Souttar and the transition proved fairly seamless as the 6ft 6in stopper slotted into the back division and quickly made his presence felt.

Saints’ Scott Tanser switched the flow briefly after 23 minutes but the midfielder’s effort from outside the box was too high to give Scott Fox anything to worry about.

While some Saints players gave the distinct impression that they were already on their summer holidays, there was a natural level of intensity about their opponents in the circumstances.

And County quickly reasserted themselves