Alex Schalk scored twice as Scottish Premiership bottom side Ross County beat Dundee to go to within three points of Hamilton Academical.

The visitors took the lead after the break when Davis Keillor-Dunn curled in a dipping shot but Kerr Waddell quickly headed Dundee level.

Schalk pounced on a defensive lapse to score County's second and soon fired their third.

Tim Chow came off the bench to strike the visitors' fourth in stoppage time.

The visitors, who register their first win in 13 matches, started well with Keillor-Dunn's shot from 10 yards tipped over by goalkeeper Elliott Parish.

An even better chance was wasted by David N'Gog after Schalk had created the opportunity by cutting in from the right and releasing the pass. However, from eight yards the former Liverpool striker sent his shot high over when it looked easier to score.

Simon Murray, Dundee's on-loan signing from Hibernian, was keen to show why Neil McCann brought him to Dens Park on transfer deadline day. The striker took a touch before turning and firing wide.

Murray then had the home fans claiming for a penalty when in full flight he went down under the challenge of Liam Fontaine in the box but referee John Beaton correctly ignored the claims.

There was a warm half-time reception for former Dundee captain James McPake, who this week announced his retirement from playing. It probably generated the loudest noise of the day from the home fans.

County started the second half similar to the first and N'Gog had a left-foot strike superbly tipped over by Parish.

Keillor-Dunn capped a fine performance with the opening goal

But there was nothing the Dundee keeper could do to stop Keillor-Dunn breaking the deadlock. The winger, who had been trying to curtail a constant nose bleed during the first half, sent a brilliant curling right-foot shot from just inside the left edge of the box into the far corner.

The home side responded positively and were back on level terms when Waddell rose highest to head home a Paul McGowan cross from the left.

However, County regained the lead when Schalk took advantage of a misunderstanding involving Lewis Spence and Waddell. The striker nicked the ball then raced away from the Dundee players before shooting past Parish, who despite getting a hand to it could not keep it out.

Three minutes later Schalk scored his second of the afternoon after being found by a neat back-heel by Keillor-Dunn, the forward drilling the ball low into the net.

Jim O'Brien's replacement Chow topped off County's day with a low strike from a difficult angle and the Highlanders now trail Partick Thistle by four points and Dundee by five.

Post-match reaction

Dundee manager Neil McCann: "I thought we were very poor. I don't think there was a great deal in the first half although I don't think we had played well. We got into decent areas and chose a negative pass rather than a positive one.

"In the second half when we went a goal down, which was a great finish from Keillor-Dunn, we then got ourselves back in the game and it was probably our best spell around that period when I felt we could go on and score another goal.

"But we took another negative pass out in the wide area and then put ourselves under pressure and lost a very sloppy goal. The third goal was a poor one to lose and the game's gone by then.

"I'll take responsibility for a few things today but the players have to take an equal share of that - they're not blameless but neither am I with some of my decisions as well today.

"I'll look at the game again and we'll come in and go through it together as a team. I thought we looked a wee bit flat at times and there was a lack of punch in our play."

Ross County manager Owen Coyle: "We've been on a horrible run, one that's hurt us all.

"We knew that when we started to get players back [from injuries] that we were certainly going to be a good team. I've been repetitive in saying it, but you could see the quality of David N'Gog and, all of a sudden, Alex Schalk can play round about him and Davis Keillor-Dunn, who we've got high hopes for and he's probably got a broken nose but he kept on going.

"We've still got others to come back and there's a lot of work to do. And N'Gog is still only 80% fit.

"We certainly feel we are a stronger team as we move into the business end of the season and what we've got to do is replicate that performance.

"From the first whistle to the last, I thought we were outstanding. If there's any nitpicking it's obviously allowing the equaliser, but I can't say they had too many opportunities at our goal. Dundee are a good side but I actually felt today we passed them off the park.

"We showed real quality, particularly in the final third.

"Our destiny is in our own hands and if we perform like that, it will get us to safety. One swallow doesn't make a summer but it's certainly a good start today because the result was emphatic and that's what we have to take into the next group of games."