A DAY of the proverbial six-pointer ended in one apiece, albeit St Mirren were the afternoon's main losers, as two committed sides gave value for money in the chill air yet never quite ignited as they can.

Richard Brittain struck an upright for Ross County with the last kick of the ball and, had he scored, Dundee would have slipped nine points behind the hosts in the league table.

Dundee midfielder Iain Davidson struck the opener with what was an excellent connection but one that took the cruellest swerve past the rooted Mark Brown. Gary Glen's 74th-minute reply – his first goal for the club – sealed a draw, but County were left ruing what might have been.

"I'll take it, because it has been a while," said Davidson. "The first touch set me up to hit it and I saw it move in the air. All of a sudden it just veered off to the right. I said that to Mark Brown at the end. Both of us agreed it moved all over the place. It is just these balls nowadays. It was still a nice moment."

The 28-year-old from Kirkcaldy felt his side had been pummelled at times in the second half, but were worthy of a point.

"It is probably the old cliche – a game of two halves," he added. "We're really disappointed. It would have been a big win for us. But we are now starting to believe as a group of players."

The point preserved Ross County's six-point lead over their fellow Irn-Bru First Division promotees. Home form had been their strength since reaching the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, but this was no vintage display.

With two defeats in nine league matches in the north – and victories over Hibernian and Aberdeen – the Global Energy Stadium continues to provide the bedrock of their season.

Some 200 Dundee fans had made the trip north in good voice but were soon subdued after a competitive but scrappy start and, 15 minutes in, County produced the first note of danger.

Alex Cooper burst away on the left to find Colin McMenamin in the box with his back to goal. The County striker's pass found Mark Fotheringham on the edge of the area but the midfielder's low strike skidded wide. Cooper was proving an effective outlet, troubling full-back Gary Irvine, but it was County who fell behind on 37 minutes as Davidson's shot from more than 25 yards ended a spell of Dundee pressure that had seemed to be petering out.

The turnaround after the break had more to do with a roused home side, however, as Iain Vigurs' efforts lifted the hosts, yet Dundee remained dangerous on the counter, particularly through John Baird.

Stuart Kettlewell whipped in a cross as the ball broke wide and Ross Tokely went within a whisker of levelling with a powerful header, and momentum built for Derek Adams' team.Kettlewell's blocked strike then fell to substitute Glen, who turned to finish from the edge of the six-yard box.

But for all the home side's dominance, Colin Nish might have won it for Dundee but he fluffed his chance in front of goal from Ryan Conroy's ball before, in the best move of the game, McMenamin threaded in Brittain to the right of the box but the County captain could only hit the woodwork.

"Probably today was the worst we've played in the SPL," said Adams. "It was a high-pressure game for both sides and both looked a wee bit nervous. In the second half, I thought we created a lot of opportunities but probably didn't work Rab Douglas enough. He did have a few good saves and we probably should have won with the pressure we had."