County came under pressure in the second half as the Saints searched for a winner, so while another set of three points was not forthcoming for Hughes, he was pleased with the determination his players displayed to hang on.

"We had a great result the other day against Hibs but one swallow doesn't make a summer," Hughes warned.

"We still have so much work in front of us, but the players' honesty and integrity, hard work and willingness, those are the ingredients that get you out of bed as a manager.

"You can't wait to get into training because they work so hard.

"I'm delighted with the spirit and desire and the way they stood up to Saints in the second half.

"It has been a hard four games in 12 days and they need to rest up – we've picked up injuries when we're not expecting it – but we just need to get on with it."

Callum Davidson was left to take individual positives out of the match for St Johnstone.

Although his side had the better of play in the second half, goalkeeper Zander Clark made two crucial saves at the end.

Scott Tanser's appearance on the bench, even though he did not come on, was also a boost as the Saints had previously feared he could be out for an extended period.

"We gave them an opportunity to try and get three points, so from that perspective, I'm probably thankful for Zander to make sure of the point," Davidson said.

"That's always the case when you don't take your chances.

"It's great to have Scott back too, it looked like a bad injury at first but the scan came back alright.

"I'd like to see him have a full week in training and make sure he's OK, but it's great to have him back."