FREDERIC Frans believes Partick Thistle have secured their Premiership status for another season after they ended Ross County's remarkable nine game unbeaten run.

The Belgian central defender scored a stunning equaliser to help turn a one-goal deficit in Dingwall into a hugely-significant victory for Alan Archibald's adventurous side.

Technically, the Glasgow team might require one more win - with St Mirren visitors to Firhill this Saturday - but Frans was only looking upwards towards the eminently catchable Hamilton Academical in seventh spot.

It proved a flat and surprisingly stodgy home display despite Michael Gardyne's promising opener after 21 minutes.

Frans, somewhat in nosebleed territory as he bounded into considerable space and caught his low shot sweetly and with venom, levelled five minutes later.

From that moment it always looked like there would be only one winner as the home side toiled to rekindle the recent sparky, effective form.

In the end it took a glaring error from experienced County goalkeeper Mark Brown who failed to block Stephen O'Donnell's tight-angled dig from the right side of the box to separate the teams.

The home side could have moved to within 90 minutes of safety themselves had they triumphed. If Frans is correct, any anxieties are now history for Partick.

The former Belgium under-20 international, a commanding presence in the heart of defence aside from his goal, said: "With four games to play, we're 10 points ahead so it would be really terrible if we now slipped back into that play-off spot. I think we will be fine now. We can look upwards.

"We will go for victories in the remainder of the season and our goal is to be unbeaten in the split matches."

As for his memorable finish, a strike that seemed to accelerate in the air as it hurtled 25-yards low between Brown's outstretched glove and the left hand post, Frans was understandably thrilled.

He said: "Most of my career, the goals I have scored have been headers from set pieces. That's the first one I've ever scored like that. I saw the space and I thought I'd attack it. I just thought 'now's the time to try it' - and it was the perfect strike, I think.

"It was important. We deserved to get the goal back having started the game really well, causing them a lot of problems."

Tellingly, Partick travelled north with a plan to beat County at their own game.

The revived Dingwall team, under the shrewd guidance of Jim McIntyre, have thrived on energetic work-rate and ruthless desire to win individual battles before producing the winning moments in matches.

This time, under manager Archibald's instruction, Partick Thistle were the team who imposed themselves physically and did the dirty stuff well before picking off the hosts.

Frans said: "They have been on a great run - eight wins and a draw, which is amazing - but everyone forgets we have been on a good run as well.

"We matched them in every way. Football-wise, we know we're better but we came here with a lot of desire and confidence in ourselves to earn the result."

County supporters have grown accustomed to winning football since a victory over Motherwell in mid-February ignited their season.

It seemed as if another stride forward was about to take place when the opener came against the run of play.

The overlapping run of left-back Jamie Reckord was met by Rafa De Vita's pass. Reckord shaped for a return ball to his team-mate, but instead switched direction and curled in a long cross to the back post.

There, Gardyne was waiting to strike home with the help of a deflection to create a 21st minute lead.

County's lead never looked comfortable. Almost immediately, Lyle Taylor had the ball in the net but was ruled offside, before Frans produced his show-stopping strike to level.

You felt the hosts had to react after the break but within nine minutes of the re-start they found themselves behind.

Scott Boyd's header on a high ball bounced not to safety, but to O'Donnell on the far right.

Though the angle was tight, O'Donnell's venomous drive - was it a cross or a shot? - startled keeper Brown at his front post and ricocheted into the net.

For Rocco Quinn, a much-craved return to action after almost seven months was soured by defeat. However, he tipped Ross County to quickly recover their form.

The former Celtic youth underwent surgery to cure a hip problem in October and his recuperation has been a lengthy process, delayed also by County's nine-game winning run in which the team hardly changed.

Saturday's substitute's appearance might have been a personal relief, but the 28-year-old's joy was dampened by the setback.

Quinn admitted: "It was a disappointing way to end the winning run. We'd have loved to keep it going, but we weren't at it.

"From the first whistle we looked a bit leggy. We weren't showing the same intensity of the past few weeks. Ultimately it cost us."

Quinn's last match before his operation came in October's Highland derby draw with Inverness. Back then, County were bottom of the table and already being written off in some quarters as doomed to relegation.

So Quinn can put Saturday's setback in perspective given his team enjoy a six-point cushion over Motherwell in the play-off position who they face this weekend.

He said: "It is all in our own hands and that's the way we wanted it coming into the split. It was five cup finals before today and it's four cup finals now. We just need to keep going and doing what we've been doing and, hopefully, we will get the results.

"It has been a long hard road back for myself and it was great to get back out there with the boys."