Image source, SNSThrown in for his first start for St Johnstone, Makenzie Kirk, 20, looked dangerous in attack and won the free-kick Nicky Clark ultimately converted to send St Johnstone in front.
Managerless St Johnstone make two alterations from the defeat to Hibs - Jack Sanders and Makenzie Kirk, son of interim boss Andy, who makes his first start for the club are into the starting line-up.
The pair replace Aaron Essel and Benjamin Kimpioka.
Image source, SNSAndy Kirk takes interim charge of St Johnstone following Craig Levein's sacking.
Ross County: Laidlaw, Brown, Leak, Wright, Randall, Hale, Chilvers, Campbell, Lopata, Nisbet, White.
Substitutes: Hamilton, Loturi, Grieves, Denholm, Telder, Efete, Samuel, Brophy, Smith.
St Johnstone: Sinclair, Raymond, Cameron, Sanders, Neilson, Holt, Clark, Wright, Smith, Sprangler, Kirk.
Substitutes: Rae, Keltjens, Carey, MacPherson, McPake, Bright, Dair, Essel, Kucheriavyi.
Image source, SNSRoss County have doubts over George Harmon and Josh Reid but Max Sheaf and Will Nightingale have returned to training. Ricki Lamie (Achilles) remains out.
St Johnstone pair Benjamin Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh are suspended while Jack Sanders is back from a ban.
Graham Carey returns from a short-term injury, while Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are still absent.
Image source, SNSFalkirk boss John McGlynn says "it's a compliment" to be linked to the vacant managerial position at St Johnstone but insists he is not looking for a move.
The 62-year-old would relish the opportunity to return to the Premiership but wants to do it with the Bairns, who currently top the Championship and visit Celtic in the League Cup last eight on Sunday.
"It's a compliment for all the good work that's been getting done," said McGlynn.
"It's not only here at Falkirk, I think myself and (assistant) Paul Smith did a really good job at Raith Rovers to get them out of League One and then finish third in our first season in the Championship, in a league that contained Hearts and Dundee, and then fifth in our last season.
"We've come in here and within two and a bit seasons, we are where we are now, which everyone can see. It's nice to be linked with it but I'm very comfortable and very happy where I am.
"The best way would be to do it with Falkirk, if we can, I think that would be more rewarding. That would be an awesome achievement."
Murray open to St Johnstone vacancy
Ian Murray tells BBC Scotland he would be interested in taking the St Johnstone manager's job following the exit of Craig Levein earlier this week.
Murray is seeking a return to management after being surprisingly sacked by Raith Rovers last month.
Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSSt Johnstone captain Kyle Cameron says he apologised on behalf of the players to sacked manager Craig Levein following his departure earlier this week.
Defender Cameron was appointed skipper by Levein after arriving on loan from Notts County in the summer.
"I spoke to him on Wednesday, I just apologised on behalf of me and the players for what had happened and thanked him for the opportunity coming up here," said the 27-year-old.
"We just had a general chat about the football and talked about how performances were okay but not where we wanted them to be. The results didn’t come with the good play we had within the games.
"So I think he knew that the pressure was on and the inevitable happened."
Cameron says Levein's dismissal came as "a bit of a surprise" and that the squad must share blame for the poor start to the season.
He added: "The results we were getting weren't good enough and maybe we knew with that there could be pressure on, but not just him, as a group of players we have to take responsibility with that as well.
"He has brought a lot of us in, it is down to us not getting the results to back him up.
"Ultimately we haven't picked up enough points and he has unfortunately taken the brunt of it."
Dundee, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren will each take in £1.6m in solidarity payments due to Celtic's Champions League qualification, with Aberdeen and Dundee United receiving £1m and £650,000 going to Hearts and Livingston. (Mail), external
Interim boss Andy Kirk aims to get Nicky Clark, 33, scoring again at St Johnstone. (Courier - subscription), external
Image source, SNSRoss County have lost two of their last three Scottish Premiership games against St Johnstone (D1), as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W5 D8 L2).
St Johnstone won their last away league game at Ross County 1-0 in February last season, last winning successive such trips in February 2017 (4 in a row).
After beating Dundee 2-0 last time out, Ross County are looking to win back-to-back league games for only the second time since the start of last season, having last done so in November/December 2023.
St Johnstone have lost their last two away league games (both 2-0) against Dundee United and Hibernian. They last lost three in a row on the road in January 2023, while they last did so without scoring in January 2022 (run of four).
No side has had more shots following high turnovers in the Scottish Premiership this season than Ross County (8, level with Celtic).
Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSAndy Kirk has taken on interim manager duties at St Johnstone following the sacking of Craig Levein, right
After a difficult week for St Johnstone, caretaker manager Andy Kirk aims to make sure his players are "in the right frame of mind" for Saturday's Premiership game at Ross County.
Boss Craig Levein was sacked on Tuesday with the team sitting 10th in the table having won just one and lost four of their opening five league games.
On Thursday, club owner Adam Webb revealed he was receiving treatment for cancer of the head and neck - and that he intends to take a period of medical leave, aiming to return in December.
Kirk said: "Obviously, it's not a great time for him [Webb] and his family but everyone from here sends their best wishes and we hope that the treatment works well and we see him back here soon.
"There are a lot of things that have happened over the last couple of days. The news about Adam is another thing that is not nice to hear, but we have to keep functioning and moving forward, and I think Adam would absolutely want us to be doing that as best we can.
"We will work hard behind the scenes to keep the players focused and make sure we are in the right space to go to the game on Saturday."
Kirk worked with Levein at Brechin City before becoming his assistant at McDiarmid Park last November.
He added: "It is never nice to see a manager lose their job at any level. We have spoken to the players this morning, there is a sense of responsibility on everyone in the building here for that.
"In his time here Craig was really good with the players, they had a lot of respect for him.
"There is always a sadness on that side but the game comes round quickly on Saturday for us, so we need to be making sure the players are in the right frame of mind and we can put on a good performance."
Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSSt Johnstone co-caretaker manager Andy Kirk has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premiership trip to Ross County.
Here are the key points from the press conference:
On the news owner Adam Webb is being treated for cancer, Kirk says everyone is "really shocked" and "sends their best wishes".
On the sacking of Craig Levein, who Kirk had a "strong relationship" with, he says: "It is a bit of shock the way it has happened and how quickly it came round."
He spoke to the players this morning and says there is a "sense of responsibility on everyone" at the club over Levein's departure.
Asked if he would like to be considered for the permanent job, Kirk says: "It is not something I have thought about short term. That is a decision for the club, if they want to have a conversation at some point around those things then absolutely I will have the conversation but at the minute this is about the team."
He stressed the importance of Saturday's game and trying to "get the result we need" to arrest a run of four straight defeats.
Saints will be without suspended strikers Benjamin Kimpioka and Adama Sidibeh, but Jack Sanders is back from a ban and Graham Carey returns from injury.
St Johnstone will not rush their managerial appointment and assistant Andy Kirk, 45, will get his chance to stake a claim to replace Craig Levein. (Courier - subscription), external
Johan Mjallby has jokingly congratulated Scott Brown on getting the St Johnstone job even though his fellow former Celtic player is still manager of Ayr United. (Sun), external
Ex-St Johnstone player Danny Swanson urges the Perth club to appoint Brown, 39. (Record), external
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Craig Levein's appointment as St Johnstone manager last November surprised many in the game.
And, similarly, his sudden exit on Tuesday afternoon will have caught plnenty out.
So much has happened at McDiarmid Park in the last 10 months and as is often the case when new owners come in, they want to have the final say in most things.
American businessman Adam Webb has only been in the door a matter of months and Levein has gone already.
With just 11 wins in his 39 games in charge, Saints hardly set the heather on fire during Levein's spell, but there had been glimmers of hope.
The signings of Adama Sidibeh and Benjamin Kimpioka were indications that an upturn in fortunes may not have been too far away.
The dismissal of Levein, though, may go a bit deeper than just a lack of wins. Having spoken to Webb at the start of the season, he is someone who has his own ideas on how things should be.
It would be no surprise if those ideas differed to those of the manager, and we all know which boss comes out on top in those circumstances.
It may well be just a clash of personalities led to the inevitable split, but Levein's appointment never had the full backing of the support.
Perhaps St Johnstone fans should be careful what they wish for. This could be a long old season for the club.
Could Tommy Wright, who led St Johnstone to 2014 Scottish Cup glory during his seven-year spell in charge, be set for a return to replace the sacked Craig Levein?
One fan in favour is Sam Miller, of the Dogger Saints Podcast, who explains why Wright would be a good choice.
Listen and subscribe to the Scottish Football Podcast on BBC Sounds
Former Celtic captain Scott Brown, who is now managing Ayr United, and Hoops assistant coach John Kennedy are among the contenders for the St Johnstone job. (Scottish Sun)
Tommy Wright would be a popular choice among fans for a St Johnstone return - and ex-Saints midfielder Nick Dasovic could also be on the club's list to replace Craig Levein. (The Courier)
Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.
Image source, SNSFormer St Johnstone defender Allan Preston feels there was an inevitability about Craig Levein's sacking, but is surprised it has happened so early in the season.
The Perth club's new owner, American lawyer Adam Webb, has made Levein the first Premiership managerial casualty of the campaign after four defeats in the opening five league matches.
"I'm disappointed for Craig. He kept them up and did a reasonable job last season," Preston told BBC Scotland's The Nine.
"This season was always going to be difficult. The new owner has come in and has his own ideas. An inevitable parting of the ways was going to come eventually. I didn't quite see it as quickly as this.
"If that was the case [Webb wanted his own man in], why didn't they do it in the window? They could have given a new manager time to assess the squad and bring in his own players. A new manager now is going to have to inherit Craig's players, good, bad or indifferent, and get on with that."
Preston expects Webb to tap into the knowledge of the existing staff at the club in his search for a new manager.
"I think he's going to lean heavily on the likes of Roddy Grant and Gus MacPherson because they know the club and Scottish football well," he added.
"While Adam Webb has a stake in Cambridge in England, he doesn't know the Scottish game as much. A foreign coach may be a route he goes down, but we’ve got some good managers here in Scotland.
"Scott Brown is doing a great job at Ayr and would be high up [the list] I’d imagine. Peter Leven has been quoted at Raith Rovers, where Ian Murray has just lost his job.
"And the name that always comes up is cup-winning manager Tommy Wright. I’m sure a lot of St Johnstone fans would welcome Tommy back.
"There will be a lot of good candidates and it's a wonderful club. Yes, they’ve got new owners and no longer the best chairman in Scottish football history, Geoff Brown, but Adam Webb will make his own stance and hopefully they can get out of the mess they're in."
Craig Levein speaks to BBC Scotland after what proved to be his final game in charge of St Johnstone, a 2-0 loss to Hibs at Easter Road.
Highlights: Hibernian 2-0 St Johnstone
St Johnstone are beaten 2-0 at Hibs for a fourth consecutive defeat, leading to the dismissal of manager Craig Levein.
Nine games into the season and Craig Levein has been sacked by St Johnstone.
After five Scottish Premiership matches, Saints sit 10th with one win and four defeats, the latest a 2-0 loss to Hibernian at the weekend.
Do you think it's the right move to dismiss Levein at this stage? And who would you like to see come in at McDiarmid Park?
