HOW best to pick through the mess of Kilmarnock's performance on Saturday?

"I don't know, if I tell you we were sh*** we can find a way," said Manuel Pascali, weary captain and defender. "Today was unacceptable."

Three goals, in the space of just 15 minutes as the first half ticked to a close, were enough to first sink and then infuriate the spirits of those few who were hardly crammed in to Rugby Park. Boos, whistles, howling, exasperation: the people were revolting and so was the defending.

Kilmarnock are hardly in trouble yet, in seventh place and five points ahead of Partick Thistle in eighth, but there was a keen acknowledgement afterwards that things must improve. "We are going to see if this year we are the same Kilmarnock, where it looks as if we might push for the top six but end up in the bottom," said Pascali. "But coming up are games that I like to play, where you need to show character. If I want to be positive, there is one game every year where everybody doesn't play well. Hopefully we won't see this again."

His defensive partner, Mark Connolly, has looked assured for the most part this campaign, but had a poor afternoon. The Irishman should have scored twice - the first chance, a missed free header, was the most glaring sin - and he was also at fault for Ross County's second goal.

You see, Connolly has an odd habit of tackling with his head. Twice now this season - as far as this correspondent is aware - the Irishman has planked himself headfirst on the grass to try to reach a ball rolling on the ground. His manager Allan Johnston suggested that he might have slipped. Either way, a two-goal lead was sealed by Connolly's kiss of the turf: Michael Gardyne stole past him and darted through on goal. From there, the finish was simple.

County's third goal was the product of hapless defending and Kilmarnock's inability to learn a lesson. Not 10 minutes had past since Martin Woods peeled away at the back post and fired a shot off the ground and over the bar. The same routine from a second corner allowed Paul Quinn some space and time to fire a weak effort at goal. Craig Samson, fumbling, allowed the ball to cross the line before snatching it back. The half-time whistle blew immediately after; Kilmarnock were three down and the game was gone.

Five of County's matchday squad had pulled on the blue and white of Kilmarnock at some point in their careers. Their manager, too, was a key member of the side that brought the Scottish Cup back to Ayrshire in 1997. When all these past stalwarts used to walk out at Rugby Park, there was still grass beneath their feet. Things have changed, but it was the visitors who looked at home and put in their best performance of the season so far.

Jamie Reckord, the County full-back, only joined the club last month, a Wolverhampton Wanderers player for four years and none: he spent five different spells out on loan before his contract petered out this summer.

"It's quiet and it rains a lot," was his initial verdict on Dingwall. If he was expecting rather milder climes in Ayrshire, he was to be disappointed. On a dark afternoon, the sun was lost somewhere behind black clouds, and water and wind lashed across Rugby Park. Despite the result, the hosts had actually started the stronger, and Graham Carey's freakish effort - his shot smacked the woodwork then went in off the back of Samson's head - came against the run of play.

If Samson was unlucky, Jamie Hamill was culpable. He was booked, hotheaded and about to be sent off before Johnston substituted him. His departure forced Alexei Eremenko to drop deeper, into areas where he has more space to scamper but can cause less mischief. The team lost its shape.

There was bad news to go with the good in County's first victory in five matches. Jim McIntyre was informed on the eve of the match that Darren Barr, the defender, will be out for a long time after damaging his cruciate ligament the previous week.

At least without him, though, their rearguard here was mostly untroubled. In the second half, when Kilmarnock tried to quickly break on the counter with Rory McKenzie and Robbie Muirhead, the hosts resigned themselves to lumping the ball deep to Josh Magennis and substitute Lee Miller. County's big back four simply mopped up any danger. "We looked predictable," admitted Pascali, who was then asked if Johnston had been upset. "Would you be?" he countered. "Of course. They had a good game and we had a poor one."