Hibs maintained their unbeaten run thanks to a late equaliser by teenage substitute Oli Shaw in Dingwall this afternoon.
Neil Lennon returned to the dugout after serving a three game ban.
The Head Coach made one change to the starting XI that beat Hamilton in midweek with John McGinn returning after a two game suspension, replacing Steven Whittaker.
Lewis Stevenson made his 400th appearance for the club and Cammy Bell was back on the bench after missing the midweek win with a calf problem.
Scottish Cup winner Liam Fontaine started the game for the Staggies.
Hibs began brightly and Tuesday’s hat-trick hero Flo Kamberi went close with a header from a Scott Allan free-kick.
McGinn then Allan both tried their luck from outside the area without success before County took the lead on 28 minutes against the run of play.
Alex Schalk’s pass found Billy McKay who calmly dispatched the ball past Ofir Marciano into the net.
Referee Bobby Madden infuriated the Hibs’ fans by ignoring some rough tackles by Ross County players then made matters worse by speaking to Lennon who was justifiably angry.
Hibs almost drew level just before the break but Paul Hanlon’s header bounced down off the ground and over the bar.
Lennon’s men should have equalised just after the restart when Darren McGregor’s header was blocked and kamberi was unable to scramble the ball over the line.
Jamie Maclaren then went close with a glancing header as Hibs piled on the pressure.
County looked dangerous on the break however and Schalk went close with a powerful long range effort.
Whittaker tried an acrobatic overhead kick which few just over the bar and Kamberi’s shot from just outside the box went narrowly wide.
Lennon replaced Efe Ambrose and Scott Allan with Oli Shaw and Danny Swanson and it was the substitutes who were responsible for the deserved equaliser in the 90th minute.
Swanson did well to find Martin Boyle who slid the ball into the path of Shaw who fired the ball into the net sparking wild celebrations from the large band of travelling supporters.
With four minutes of added time, Hibs won three corners in succession and Darren McGregor headed inches wide with the last touch of the game.
After the game Lennon told BBC Scotland: “It was total domination from the team, they showed great resilience and patience.
“We missed a lot of opportunities to score a lot earlier, even before County scored. And County scored with their one attack. I’m pleased with the character we showed and it could be an important point.
“I was disappointed with the chances we missed first-half. We should be taking them. We gave County encouragement by conceding the first goal. It made the afternoon a lot more difficult than it should have been.
“It’s five cup finals now. No-one’s given us a chance of finishing second, but we’re only three points behind second place with five games to go. We’ve given ourselves a hell of a chance and we’ll look forward to them.”
Elsewhere Aberdeen lost 2-0 at Tynecastle and were overtaken by Rangers who won 4-0 against Dundee at Ibrox.
These results mean that Hibs remain in fourth place, three points behind the Gers and Dons.
Ross County: Fox, Fraser, Souttar, Fontaine, Routis, Draper, Lindsay, Melbourne, Gardyne (Kait, 61’), Schalk (Dow, 88′), McKay (Curran, 76’). Subs: McCarey, Ngog, O’Brien, Keillor-Dunn.
Hibernian: Marciano, Ambrose (Swanson, 72’), McGregor, Hanlon, Boyle, McGeouch, McGinn, Allan (Shaw, 72’), Stevenson, Kamberi, Maclaren (Whittaker, 57’). Subs: Bell, Porteous, Bartley, Slivka.
Referee Bobby Madden
Attendance: 5389
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
