Ross County 1-0 Partick Thistle: Boss hails importance of win

Ross County manager Jim McIntyre believes his side's 1-0 win over Partick Thistle could prove a major moment in the Premiership relegation battle.

The win was County's fourth on the spin and ensured the league's 10th-placed side closed the gap on Partick to just four points, as well as opening up a three-point gap over St Mirren.

"Partick going 10 points ahead of us today would have been a big ask for us, but we've managed to gain another three today and there's only four points between the teams now," McIntyre told BBC Scotland.

"Again, we have to just worry about ourselves and think about the Hamilton game now."

Craig Curran's first-half header was enough to see off Thistle, who had Kallum Higginbotham sent off after the interval for a rash challenge on Michael Gardyne.

"You have to credit Partick," added McIntyre. "They're down to 10 men and are putting us under enormous pressure, we were trying to get that second goal to kill the game off and couldn't quite manage it, so we had to show real bravery and courage.

"I don't think the conditions made for playing the ball around the deck, we knew it was going to be like that and I think several of the games in the run-in will be like that, with pitches deteriorating.

Partick's Kallum Higginbotham was red carded for a challenge on County's Michael Gardyne

"We've got to show another side to us as well, stand up and be counted, win your individual battles. It was winning ugly today, that's what we did.

"I've just watched it [the goal] again and it's a fabulous header because Craig has a lot to do, there's not a lot of pace on the ball, he's also got a man back on the line so he's put it away brilliantly.

"We can certainly play better than we did today, but in terms of the spirit and resolve, we've got that going at the minute. It's going to be battles, so more of the same will do fine."

Partick manager Alan Archibald felt his side deserved more from the game.

"There wasn't a lot in it and even with 10 men we looked the likelier side to go on and score," he told BBC Scotland.

"The lads showed great character with 10 men. We knew the first goal would be pivotal and we missed our chance in the first half and they took theirs.

"The sending off hampered us in the second half but it was great character from the lads as we kept on going right until the end, and were unlucky not to get a goal.

"It was reckless challenge from Kallum, sometimes it's a yellow card and sometimes it's a red, so no complaints.

"I thought we deserved something out of the game."