St Johnstone are now unable to claw their way off the foot of the table as relegation has been confirmed after a 16-year stay.
Today’s results made sure that the Perth Saints’ final game of the season won’t be able to save them from the drop from the Premiership.
And it was in heart breaking fashion as a late, late penalty allowed Ross County to equalise at Dundee, stealing a point and putting them mathematically out of reach.
VAR controversially made the decision to call handball on Antonio Portales when teammate Ryan Astley headed it onto him with little he could do to stop it.
The team going down couldn’t save their own skin as they lost 2-1 away to Hearts.
It turned into more of a close run thing than it looked earlier in the season, with County edging their way down towards twelfth ever so slowly.
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The Ronan Hale penalty has given the Highland team a slither of hope that they can close the two-point gap over Dundee on the last matchweek and avoid the playoff.
The Dees play the already relegated Saints on Sunday while the Staggies host Motherwell.
Just five games – which saw four losses – into the league season St Johnstone parted company with manager Craig Levein after less than a year in charge.
While new gaffer Simo Valakari couldn’t quite turn their fortunes around the Finnish boss has played a brand of football that has instilled some hope in fans.
They even had the better of their relegation rivals County, beating them three times and drawing once.
Despite nicking a 1-0 win against Celtic last month, the opposite end of the table was generally too far a stretch for them.
The title winners put them to the sword on several occasions to the tune of four, five, and six goals to nil.
The Perthshire side also only managed to score one goal in all their attempts against Rangers.
Towards the end of the campaign big-money big man Uche Ikpeazu returned from injury to play his first games for the club.
The former Hearts striker was signed by Levein last summer but a freak injury suffered at home forced surgery which put him on the treatment table until a few weeks ago.
2009 was the year St Johnstone won the first division title and were last promoted to the top tier of Scottish football.
Their now-ended tenancy atop the pyramid returned three trophies, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup.
Callum Davidson famously led them to a cup double five years ago.
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