Ross County produced a spirted fightback but calamitous first half defending proved too much for them to recover from against St Mirren.
The Staggies fell two goals behind early on, with Eamonn Brophy opening the scoring before Marcus Fraser once again came back to haunt his former club.
Although Blair Spittal briefly pulled one back, the Buddies instantly netted again through Scott Tanser.
County produced a valiant response in the second half and netted through Alex Iacovitti, however they were unable to haul themselves level.
The result leaves County without a win from their opening nine league matches, which means they remain second bottom above Dundee on goal difference.
The Highlanders now trail Livingston by four points, reinforcing their need to get back to form.
Malky Mackay made two changes from the side which went down 1-0 to Dundee United in the Staggies’ last outing, with Jordan Tillson and Joseph Hungbo making way for David Cancola and Ross Callachan.
County made a bright start, with Alex Iacovitti nodding Blair Spittal’s free-kick off the post before being flagged for offside in any case.
The hosts continued to mount pressure down the right flank to no avail, however St Mirren’s first glimpse of goal came on 13 minutes when Eamonn Brophy weaved his way into a shooting position before drilling his strike just wide.
Brophy was not to be denied just two minutes later however, with Tanser playing the striker through on goal before he blasted home from a tight angle, with goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer beaten at his near post.
The Buddies were buoyed by their opener, with Matt Millar curling an effort over.
County took time to regain their stride but they nearly conjured up a leveller on the half hour mark when Harry Paton cut the ball back for Callachan, whose deflected effort forced Jak Alnwick to scramble the ball behind.
Maynard-Brewer had to be alert to prevent Saints doubling their lead three minutes later, when he got down to tip Tanser’s swerving free-kick wide of the post.
The Staggies fell two behind on 34 minutes, with Marcus Fraser left unmarked to nod home Tanser’s delivery.
It threatened to become a bleak situation for the Dingwall men but they produced the perfect response, with Spittal’s 25-yard free-kick deflecting off the top of the wall to loop over the reach of Alnwick and into the net.
In a crazy four minute first-half spell, Saints regained their two-goal cushion in all to simple fashion on 38 minutes. A routine ball forward alarmingly left the heart of County’s defence wide open, allowing Tanser to nip in ahead of Maynard-Brewer to bundle home.
The Staggies looked for a way back into the game before the break, with Samuel shooting wide on the turn following Spittal’s delivery.
Saints pushed for a killer fourth goal at the start of the second half, with Brophy and Connor Ronan both off target with efforts.
County dominated the remainder of the second half however, with Harry Clarke thumping a Spittal delivery off the post, while Regan Charles-Cook saw an effort blocked by Alan Power after cutting in from the left.
The impressive Clarke saw a header clutched by Alnwick after getting on the end of Harry Paton’s cross, however the Staggies’ pressure paid off on 66 minutes. The impressive Clarke swung in a ball from the wide right, which was met by Iacovitti’s glancing header to send it beyond Alnwick.
The home side pushed for an equaliser, with substitute Hungbo striking the post for the third successive match following a mazy run down the inside right channel.
Charles-Cook took aim with a strike from the edge of the box which he was unable to keep down, however County’s efforts to restore parity ultimately came to nothing.
ROSS COUNTY (4-2-3-1) – Maynard-Brewer 5; Clarke 8, Baldwin 6, Iacovitti 7, Burroughs 5 (B Paton 56); Cancola 5 (Hungbo , H Paton 6; Spittal 7, Callachan 6, Charles-Cook 6; A Samuel 5 (White 56). Subs not used – D Samuel, Watson, Tillson, Laidlaw.
ST MIRREN (3-4-1-2) – Alnwick 6; Fraser 7, Shaughnessy 6, McCarthy 6; Millar 7, Power 7, Erhahon 6 (Flynn 68), Tanser 8 (Tait 74); McGrath 7 (Main 74); Ronan 6, Brophy 7. Subs not used – Lyness, Dunne, McAllister, Dennis.
Referee – David Munro
Attendance – 3,882
Man of the match: Scott Tanser