Nicky Clark should have been celebrating the fact that his two stunning free-kicks had earned St Johnstone a much-needed victory to get their season moving in the right direction.
Instead, the veteran forward ended up reflecting on the Perth side plumbing new depths of set-piece calamity.
Seven minutes into stoppage time, Ross County centre-half, Akil Wright, was allowed to drift free at the back post to head home an equaliser.
From a Premiership high for the Perth side, they quickly fell to a Premiership low.
“To be honest with you, it’s going to kill us,” said Clark.
“I think that’s four games in a row that we’ve lost goals from set-pieces.
“You can work on them as much as you like in training, which we have done.
“We’ve changed a wee bit in the way we’re defending them.
“But if we don’t go and win the ball, then it’s going to kill you.
“What does it come down to? That’s what we need to find out and that’s what we need to fix right now.
“As I say, we’ve changed the way we’re setting up the defending set-plays. But it still seems to be happening.
“That’s not just having a go at the defensive line, that’s everybody. You need to put your body on the line and take a head knock if that’s what happens.
“To be in a situation where are away from home, 3-1 up with 15 minutes to go and then come away with a point, which feels like a defeat, is very, very frustrating.
“Obviously, when the other team is chasing goals there are a lot of crosses thrown in at you.
“That’s when you need to stand up and be counted.
“As I say, put your body in the line for your team-mate and don’t concede goals that we have been conceding.”
Saints could see history repeat itself
Clark’s goals were his first and second of the season.
They stopped a four-game run of defeats for Saints but the former Dundee United striker’s glass was very much half-empty at full-time in Dingwall.
“It’s hard to take anything from it, to be honest with you,” he admitted.
“I don’t care who scores, the three points here would have been absolutely massive for us.
“We managed to get ourselves out of a bad situation late last year and if we don’t fix this now we’ll end up in the same situation.
“So that’s down to us as players, as individuals, we’re the ones who are over that white line.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take but obviously we need to fix it now and make sure we get it right going forward.
“It’s a very angry dressing room. The boys are having a go at each other, which is absolutely needed, because it can’t keep happening.”
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