Ross County need two wins to avoid automatic relegation

Published 5th May 2018

Joint manager Steven Ferguson admits Ross County need six points from their final two Ladbrokes Premiership fixtures to have a chance of avoiding relegation following their 1-1 draw at Partick Thistle.

Thistle attacker Chris Erskine volleyed in a Kris Doolan cross after 22 minutes but against the run of play Staggies striker Billy Mckay levelled three minutes before the break.

The Highlanders had the best of the second half but with no more goals they remain two points adrift of second-bottom Thistle.

Dundee and Hamilton are three points ahead of the Jags before their meeting at Dens Park on Saturday lunchtime, with the winner sure to be all but safe.

County host the Dens Park outfit on Tuesday night and finish off the season with a trip to St Johnstone, and Ferguson conceded that there is no margin for error.

He said: ''It leaves us fighting that's what it does.

As long as it is still mathematically possible we will continue to do that.

It leaves us with a huge mountain to climb but we have been trying to climb that mountain for the last eight games and what we need to do is get six points and hope things go for us elsewhere.

All we can try to do is win the game on Tuesday and next Saturday.

Again you can look at all the permutations and stuff but I think six points gives you a real fighting chance, anything other than that we are in the lap of the gods.''

The Jags welcome William Hill Scottish Cup finalists Motherwell on Tuesday before ending the season with a trip to Dens Park.

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald claimed his side struggled to cope with taking the lead against County.

He said: ''It was probably a good game for the neutral to watch.

I thought we started the game really well and deservedly went ahead and then we kind of hit the panic button for 10 minutes, our decision making went a little bit.

You could see we had not led in many games and County tweaked things and got themselves back into the game.

But we will keep on fighting that's for sure.'