Thompson earns Saints late victory

A dramatic injury-time penalty winner by Stephen Thompson earned St Mirren an unlikely 2-1 victory against Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium.County dominated the match but somehow managed to end up with nothing against a Saints side who are already relegated from the Scottish Premiership.Martin Woods fired County ahead from the penalty spot in the 31st minute but it was all-square eight minutes later when Stephen Mallan scored with a deflected drive. As the game went into stoppage time Mark Brown charged from his goal to upend Saints' sub Lewis Morgan and Thompson hammered home the spot kick.In a lively start to the match, both sides looked as if they were up for it.Saints goalkeeper Mark Ridgers lost control of the ball in front of goal but County's Craig Curran had his back to it and the chance was lost.Liam Boyce sent a header wide of Ridgers' left-hand post in the ninth minute as the home side continued to press.County made the breakthrough in the 31st minute when they were awarded a penalty after Boyce was felled in the box by Sean Kelly. Dead-ball specialist Woods made no mistake from the spot.It was almost 2-0 shortly afterwards when Jason Naismith did brilliantly to block a Curran shot right in front of goal.Then a slick move involving Tony Dingwall and Woods on the half-hour mark set up Boyce with a great chance eight yards out but the forward blazed over the bar.County paid dearly for that miss within a minute when Mallan's shot at goal took a wicked deflection over Brown and into the net.County should have restored their lead just before the break when a Woods' delivery into the box was headed over by Boyce on the six-yard line.County were on the offensive right from the start of the second half and Curran was just a yard short to get on the end of another excellent ball into the box from Woods.Jackson Irvine got on the end of a Woods' corner in the 49th minute but his weak header drifted past the far post.It was one-way traffic towards the Saints goal and both Boyce and Dingwall fired over as County pushed forward.The chances kept coming and Irvine headed another one over the top from a deep cross from Jamie Reckord.It was relentless and Michael Gardyne was not far away with a curler which just cleared the far post.Boyce then got on the end of another attack but he just failed to get enough on the ball to get it past Ridgers.Dingwall had another pop at goal but this time Ridgers touched it behind.Right at the death Paul Quinn headed just over from a Woods' free-kick as another chance went begging.In a breakaway move Saints' sub Morgan was taken down in the box by Brown was red-carded by referee Steven MacLean before Thompson buried the spot kick past stand-in keeper Darvydas Sernas.