Ross County had the daunting task of competing against defending champions Celtic on the opening day of the 2023-24 campaign, and it proved to be as difficult as expected.
Despite a bright start Malky Mackay’s men ended up suffering a 4-2 defeat which left them sitting second bottom of the league following the opening weekend, giving them plenty of work to do already.
While the result was a frustrating one for Ross County, there were positives to take from the occasion, such as the fact that the second-half performance was much improved, with Jordan White and James Brown getting on the scoresheet.
The Staggies only conceded one goal in the final 45 minutes, proving that whatever Mackay had said during his half-time team talk had settled things down, which fans will now be hoping they take into this weekend from the first whistle.
Ross County only just avoided relegation last season by three points, which is a fate that the team will be keen not to repeat this time around, therefore getting points on the board as soon as possible is a priority.
The same can be said for their opponents, because while St. Johnstone were not as close to the drop zone during the previous campaign, the club did find itself in the relegation group.
Right now the Saints are propping up the entire table after an opening game to forget last weekend as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Hearts.
St Johnstone had proven themselves to be capable of going back and forth with their opponents in that match, but Steven MacLean’s men fell short of the mark by conceding both of their goals after the 75th minute, showcasing a lack of concentration.
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That defeat added to what has been a very tricky start to the campaign overall as the Saints have already been knocked out of the Scottish League Cup, falling short at the group stage.
St. Johnstone managed to win just one of three games in that competition which did not prepare the team for the start of the Scottish Premiership, and following another loss there is a clear need to get the situation turned around.
Ryan Leak will be hoping to make his debut for Ross County this weekend after being brought into the club from Salford City as Mackay aims to bolster the defensive options.
Leak was the ninth signing of the summer for the Staggies, and all those fresh faces will take time to bed into the team as Mackay works out what his strongest starting XI is.
