Hibs were held to a drab goalless draw in the Highlands as their winless run stretched to five Premiership matches.

Despite a livelier second-half performance, David Gray's side were unable to break down the resolute Staggies, with clear-cut chances few and far between for both teams. The result does, at least, lift Hibs off the foot of the table as Hearts were beaten by Kilmarnock, but the reality remains that they have won just one of their opening 10 league fixtures. 

Hibs were, at least, able to keep a first clean sheet in five, but a lack of cutting edge and ruthlessness is hampering their quest to kickstart a poor season so far.

Attacking spark elusive

The hope would've been that coming so close in Sunday's Edinburgh lit a fire under Hibs, but the first-half here was as flat as we've seen this term. A dark, cold October's night in Dingwall requires a mentality shift from a packed Easter Road in front of the TV cameras, but the fixture was no less important. There's no lack of endeavour in this side - they couldn't be accused of not grafting for their gaffer - but, aside from the odd moment from individuals, there's a lack of collective inspiration about Hibs.

 Hibs registered a mere 0.29xG to Ross County's 0.15 in the first period, and the stats, on this occasion, were certainly not an unfair reflection of the game itself. County actually had more the ball in the first 45, owed to a 15 minute spell where they looked the better side, one that showed up a disconnect between Hibs' midfield and attack. Hibs' build-up play was marginally better than the weekend, possibly owed to Joe Newell's willingness to take responsibility, but while there were fewer aimless long balls, creativity remains an issue. Hibs have good attacking players, but here they struggled to get them into areas from which they could be effective.

The second-half brought some improvement and, at the very least, a greater sense of urgency, but the final ball was lacking. Too often crosses found themselves just overhit, shots flew off target, promising positions were crowded out by a dogged County side. Granted, not many teams go to Dingwall and win these days, but that won't stop Hibs feeling disappointed that their winless run has extended further.

Game-changing depth lacking

Hibs made double figures worth of signings in the summer, but this squad is still lacking depth in certain areas. Yes, the likes of Kieron Bowie - a £700,000 summer acquisition - are missing through injury, but Gray looks be toiling for options with which to change games. This has been reflected in the slightly scattergun nature of substitutions and selections. Nathan Moriah-Welsh, first off the bench on Sunday, was in Dingwall but failed to make the squad. Gayle was unavailable as a precaution after starting against Hearts, as was Jake Doyle-Hayes after being used to try and see out the game. 

You can see Gray is trying to utilise his squad in a bid to decipher who he can rely on to effect games, but he hasn't quite found the formula yet. Harry McKirdy, not used since getting nine minutes against Motherwell, was among the first subs here. It can't be said that the head coach isn't giving players a fair crack of the whip, but nobody is stepping up to the plate just now.

Off the bottom

No one at Hibs will be celebrating a point here, but it does at least lift Gray's side off the bottom of the Premiership. Hearts' 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock saw to that, and the the league remains very tight from bottom all the way up to sixth at this point. It is, however, a concern for Hibs that everyone else seems to be picking up, at least, the odd victory, and they aren't. They and Hearts are the only sides in the division to be stuck on just one victory so far, and although there's an awful lot of football left to be played this season, Hibs absolutely do not want to risk a gap opening up between themselves and, well, anyone else really at this point. With Dundee United at home next up, the pressure to find three points from somewhere just ramps up further.

Ekpiteta continues to improve

After taking some heavy criticism in the early weeks of the Premiership season, Marvin Ekpiteta continues to be come into his own. The big centre-back has hardly put a foot wrong in recent weeks, and he marshalled Ross County's forward pairing of Ronan Hale and Jordan White - both offering different threats - very well indeed. Eamon Brophy was offered no quarter either when he came off the bench in the second period, and it summed up Ekpiteta becoming an increasingly steady presence.

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The 28-year-old plays to his strengths and doesn't try to overcomplicate the game. It's obvious he enjoys the rough and tumble element of the Scottish Premiership and, after taking a few weeks to find his feet, has become a reliable figure at the back. A mention, too, for Josef Bursik, who pulled off an excellent save to stop County taking a second-half lead. The under-fire goalkeeper looked generally more solid on a night when Hibs' backline were there best performers.