Craig Levein has revealed he has held talks with St Johnstone about becoming the club’s new boss.

The McDiarmid Park club are looking for a replacement for Steven MacLean, who departed the Perth outfit last week.

Speaking on BBC Scotland Sportsound, the 59-year-old former Scotland, Hearts and Dundee United manager said: “I’m really looking forward to it, but until the ink has dried on the paper, nothing is done.

“I want to have another go at it, throw the dice and see if, in the latter stages of my career, I can make a difference to St Johnstone and get them up the league.

“There have been conversations. This opportunity is something that I looked seriously at – looked at the squad, the results, spoke to a few people – and had a good feeling about it.”

MacLean left Saints last week following a 4-0 defeat at St Mirren which left the club bottom of the cinch Premiership with just four points from nine games.

Coach Alex Cleland assumed interim charge and guided the Perth side to a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock in midweek, but Saints remain three points behind second-bottom Livingston.

David Martindale is adamant he is perfectly content with Livingston’s decision to reject an approach from St Johnstone regarding their managerial vacancy.

The Perth club requested permission to speak to the 49-year-old about the possibility of replacing the sacked Steven MacLean earlier this week but the Lions released a statement on Tuesday explaining that they would not be allowing their boss to talk to Saints.

Martindale, addressing the situation after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat away to Hearts, said: “The speculation honestly doesn’t bother me. I was in with (chief executive) Dave Black for about three minutes.

“I said ‘what do you want to do? Do you want to keep me at the club or do you want me to go and speak to St Johnstone?’ He said ‘we want to keep you at the club’. I said ‘perfect’ and I went back out to take training.

“There’s not a lot more to it. I’ve said before, the day I leave Livingston, it will be Livingston’s decision, whether that’s through a negative or a positive. I believe the people at the club have my best interests at heart also.

“Livingston changed my life by giving me an opportunity to be a manager in the Premiership and I’ll never ever forget that.”

Martindale’s team suffered a third straight defeat after losing to Hearts following a 79th-minute goal from substitute Kenneth Vargas.

Jambos boss Steven Naismith praised his side for keeping their composure as they halted a run of three games without a win to climb from the bottom six back up to fourth in the table ahead of their Viaplay Cup semi-final against Rangers on Sunday.

“The biggest and most pleasing thing for me is the patience we showed,” he said. “I’ve been here many a time when it gets desperate and you’re firing long balls in and shooting from 40 yards.

“But there was real control. We were unfortunate not to go in a goal or two up at half-time and that can lead to players being desperate or making the wrong choice but we continued to do the same stuff, create chances and we got our rewards in the end.

“I was pretty comfortable. You can hope you will get the goal but I was quite confident the way the game was going, they were getting deeper and more spaces were happening. Our fresher players came on and they produced.”

Naismith felt it was a sign of how well Hearts played that their supporters did not get frustrated even though they had to wait for their winning goal.

“If the fans can see what is happening and they understand what you are doing then this is a great place to play,” he said.

“Teams are going to come here and sit and frustrate and try and counter but we continued to play with good pace and the structure was really good.

“We had nearly nine or 10 players in the final third half at times which is important to move the ball and make chances.”

St Johnstone caretaker manager Alec Cleland hailed the reaction of his squad as they defeated Kilmarnock 2-1 in the first match since manager Steven MacLean was sacked.

Nicky Clark scored a double in the first 10 minutes and, although Kyle Vassell pulled a goal back and Dara Costelloe was sent off for the hosts, they held on to secure their first league win at the 10th attempt.

Cleland said: “I’m absolutely delighted because we had to dig deep in the end. Let’s not underestimate Kilmarnock. They pegged us back but we got off to a really good start.

“The fans started getting behind us and we started to get confidence to actually go and play so that was good.

“It was an entertaining game. We had to hang on in the end but we got the three points.

“I was asked to come in and take it for a game and that’s happened. I got a great response from the players and the staff as well who have helped massively.

“It was a joint effort from everybody and the reaction we got off the players and the fans was important as well.

“The league position doesn’t lie but there’s lots of points to play for and we have got a good squad in there so hopefully that can give them the confidence.”

The Saints caretaker also singled out striker Clark for praise after his first goals since last November got the Perth side off to a flying start.

He added: “Nicky (Clark) getting the two goals was brilliant and I think you saw the lift that gave the fans as well.

“Over Nicky’s career, with the clubs he’s been at, you’ve seen that he gets you goals. He’s a threat in the box, he’s got good hold up play and the problem with Nicky was just his niggly injuries.

“Now hopefully the strikers can stay fit and we can get Nicky especially a run in the team.”

Killie boss Derek McInnes bemoaned his side’s slow start as they failed to recover from the two early Clark strikes as they slipped down to fifth in the league.

McInnes said: “We played the ultimate price for such a slow start which is so unusual and unlike us. We’ve had a lot of praise recently for our defensive play and our competitiveness.

“We’ve been really aggressive from the outset. We’ve started games really well and we didn’t.

“St Johnstone have been in a poor place of late. They didn’t need any encouragement. You don’t want to give them a leg up.

“We played the majority of the game in their half but St Johnstone showed good spirit. Particularly when they went down to 10 men.

“I don’t think that particularly helped us because it kept them hemmed in and they defended their box well.

“We kept trying to play through them rather than going around them.

“We didn’t work the goalkeeper enough and we paid the ultimate price for a poor start. From 10 minutes into the game, we were the better team but it doesn’t count for anything because St Johnstone got their goals in that period and they did enough to win the game.”

Managerless St Johnstone finally ended their wait for a first league win of the season as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park.

In their first match since manager Steven MacLean lost his job, the Saints got off to a dream start with Nicky Clark grabbing a double in the first 10 minutes.

Kilmarnock grew into the game, though, and Kyle Vassell’s volley got them back into the game just after half-time.

The Perth side had to see out the last 15 minutes with 10 men after Dara Costelloe was red-carded for a late tackle on Matty Kennedy but they held on to move within three points of 11th-placed Livingston.

St Johnstone caretaker boss Alec Cleland had made three changes from the side who were hammered by St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday, with Ryan McGowan, Graham Carey and Chris Kane restored to the starting line-up. Meanwhile, Kilmarnock were unchanged from their impressive win over Aberdeen on Sunday.

The Saints had not won in their first nine matches in the cinch Premiership but they flew out of the traps, making the breakthrough after just 42 seconds.

Chris Kane’s initial shot from the edge of the box was saved by Will Dennis but Clark followed up to tap in and give the hosts the lead. The linesman initially chalked the strike off for offside before the decision was reversed following a VAR review.

It soon got even better for the Saints just six minutes later with Clark again on target. It was the simplest of goals, as Carey whipped in an in-swinging free-kick from the left wing that was well met by the head of striker Clark.

Kilmarnock were shell-shocked but they attempted to press forward and Kennedy fired their first effort of note narrowly wide from just outside the box in the 21st minute.

It was St Johnstone who remained on top however and they were inches away from adding a third in the 29th minute through an unlikely source. Captain Liam Gordon advanced forward and unleashed a long-range shot that skimmed the crossbar via a deflection.

The Saints were rampant and Kane was next to try his luck, juggling the ball from the resulting corner before acrobatically volleying onto the roof of the net.

The away side’s next chance didn’t come until the 40th minute as Vassell saw his volley from 10 yards well blocked and Stuart Findlay also came close with a header as a flurry of Kilmarnock corners ended the first half.

Killie had finished the half well and they carried this momentum into the second period, grabbing a lifeline on 47 minutes.

Kennedy delivered a precise cross from the left and Vassell volleyed home from around the penalty spot. Saints keeper Dimitar Mitov got a hand to it but he could only push the ball onto the post and into the net.

After an action-packed first half, the second period was a tighter affair but it was Killie sensing the chance at an equaliser as the game wore on.

Danny Armstrong’s deliveries were causing problems and Joe Wright should have done better with a free header that he steered wide from six yards out in the 71st minute.

St Johnstone’s attempts to see out the game then suffered a blow with 15 minutes remaining as Costelloe was sent off for a reckless late challenge on Kennedy as the winger advanced down the touchline.

Referee Calum Scott initially gave a yellow card before awarding a red after being sent to the screen by VAR Willie Collum.

It looked set up for a grandstand finish but, despite Kilmarnock throwing in a number of crosses, St Johnstone saw out the remainder of the game in relative comfort as they secured a much-needed first league win.

Livingston have rejected an approach from St Johnstone to speak to David Martindale about their managerial vacancy.

The Lions boss emerged as the early front-runner to replace Steven MacLean, who was sacked by the Perth club on Sunday with the team bottom of the cinch Premiership after no wins from their opening nine games.

Martindale refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with the McDiarmid Park job when he was asked about it at his media briefing on Monday to preview Wednesday’s match away to Hearts.

However, Saints made their move for the Livi manager later that day, only to be rebuffed by the West Lothian club.

Lions chief executive Dave Black moved to clarify the situation on Tuesday evening.

“Following recent speculation over the past 48 hours regarding men’s first-team manager David Martindale, I was keen to provide supporters with an update,” said Black in a statement released on the club’s website.

“Yesterday, the club received an official approach from St Johnstone for permission to speak to David about taking on the vacant position at McDiarmid Park. Following discussions with John Ward, John Mcllvogue and David himself, I informed St Johnstone this morning that we wouldn’t be giving permission for that conversation to take place.

“David has been pivotal in both the on-field success of the club over recent years and on the off-field growth and stability of the club too – something we wish to see continue under David’s leadership for a long time to come.

“Whilst I’ve no doubt that David has ambitions to move on and further his career in management eventually, we weren’t particularly keen to see that next move be to a league rival who we’re currently directly competing against.

“Such is the character of the man, David’s first response was solely on ensuring that full focus remained on tomorrow’s game at Tynecastle and that everyone at the club didn’t lose sight of that. His own mantra has always been that everything at Livingston must be about the we and not the me, and that very much remained the same following these discussions.

“I’ve no doubt this news will be very well received amongst you, our fans, and we hope to see you continue to get right behind David, his coaching staff and all the players as we head into a busy schedule of games between now and the winter break.”

Martindale spent four years in prison from 2006 for drug and money laundering offences but has impressively rehabilitated himself since his release in 2010.

After first getting involved with Livingston on a part-time volunteer basis in 2014, he worked his way up to become manager in 2020. Despite operating with one of the lowest budgets in Scotland’s top flight, the 49-year-old has overseen three consecutive mid-table finishes in his time in charge, helping him attract the attention of St Johnstone.

Alex Cleland is currently in interim charge of Saints while their search for a new manager continues.

Liam Gordon remains steadfast in his belief that St Johnstone can recover from their disastrous start to the season and preserve their cinch Premiership status.

The Perth club are five points adrift at the foot of the table and without a manager after Steven MacLean was sacked in the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at St Mirren – a ninth successive league match without a win.

Alex Cleland is in interim charge for Wednesday’s match at home to Kilmarnock, and captain Gordon is confident Saints – who have been in the top flight since 2009 – can get themselves out of their grim predicament in the months ahead.

“I 100 per cent believe we can turn it round quickly,” he said. “We’ve got a good squad here. We just need to start putting together performances and churning out results, which we’re more than capable of doing.

“I’m positive we will go on and do that under whoever the new manager is. This league is where we should be. We’ll keep fighting until the end.

“We’ve got a good squad here and we know what we’re capable of. Now it’s up to us to produce results to put points on the board and get ourselves up that table.”

MacLean claimed after Saturday’s defeat at St Mirren that some Saints players had “chucked it”, and Gordon admitted that is an accusation that everyone at the club is never able to be repeated.

“As a professional, that’s one thing you’d never want to be associated with,” he said. “As for those comments, I don’t know who they were aimed at, but all we can do as a group is take that on the chin and make sure it can never be said again about us either as individuals or as a group because as professional athletes we should pride ourselves on turning up and doing our jobs as best we can.

“Yes, there will be mistakes – they happen all the time – but the bare minimum here at St Johnstone is to give 110 per cent.

“We’ve had a lot of success here from past years, whether that be top-six finishes, European runs and cup success. But obviously it’s been a bit different the past few seasons and you learn a lot from that.

“When you’re winning stuff it’s all smooth and it’s great, but you start learning stuff when your back’s against the wall, and that’s where we’re at now.

“We’ve been here before as a group, I’ve been here before as an individual, so we know what’s expected and what’s required going forward. We’re ready for it.”

St Johnstone and manager Steven MacLean have parted company following a shocking start to Saints’ season.

The Perth club are bottom of the cinch Premiership with just four points from nine fixtures and without a league win.

The McDiarmid Park club released a statement which read: “St Johnstone Football Club can announce that it has parted company with Steven MacLean and Liam Craig.

“In the interim, Alex Cleland will assume responsibilities for first team matters.”

St Johnstone also lost to Stenhousemuir, Stirling Albion and Ayr in the Viaplay Cup earlier in the season.

Former Saints striker MacLean, who was first-team coach under former boss Callum Davidson, was scathing after his side’s 4-0 league defeat by St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday and warned that some of his players might have played their last game under him.

He said: “The goals we lost are unacceptable. It’s the basics of football. In the second half, we just imploded and it looked like a couple of players chucked it.

“It is my responsibility and some of these players will be lucky if they play for me again. It is not happening under my watch and it might be I need to play young boys. I thought it was really, really poor.

“You need to show a bravery in those situations and you need people to lead. I just thought we lacked that all over.”

St Johnstone play Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday night.

Aberdeen were held to a goalless draw by bottom-of-the-table St Johnstone in a Premiership contest which will not live long in the memory.

The Dons were chasing a third straight league win, which would have propelled them into the top half of the standings for the first time this season.

But they did not trouble Dimitar Mitov enough to merit maximum points as winless Saints picked up a deserved point at a wet, miserable Pittodrie.

Aberdeen made two changes from the side that drew 1-1 with HJK Helsinki in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, Connor Barron and Jonny Hayes coming in for Leighton Clarkson and Jack MacKenzie.

St Johnstone were able to select skipper Liam Gordon after his red card against Livingston last weekend was downgraded to a yellow on appeal.

But Gordon and his fellow defenders did not have much to do in an uninspiring first half, which produced next to nothing in the way of chances.

Other than a Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes free-kick from distance, which Mitov fumbled before gathering at the second attempt, there was not an effort on target at either end,

However, Aberdeen thought they had taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when their former stalwart Andrew Considine headed into his own net when trying to deal with Barron’s cross.

But with Duk marginally offside and deemed to be interfering with play, the goal was chalked off following a VAR review – much to the annoyance of the home support.

An inventive free-kick almost paid off for the Dons early in the second half as Hayes fed Barron to create a better crossing angle, but his delivery just evaded Richard Jensen.

Reds boss Barry Robson made a double switch in the 56th minute in a bid to energise his midfield, with captain Graeme Shinnie and Jamie McGrath making way for Clarkson and Dante Polvara.

The visitors were still comfortable, although Luke Robinson nearly put his team in trouble with a stray pass in a dangerous area, which Aberdeen should have made more of.

Down the other end, Gordon unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot, which deflected narrowly wide for a corner as Saints sensed they could break their winless duck at the eighth attempt.

It was the hosts who looked likeliest, though, as they upped the pressure in the closing stages.

Bojan Miovski spurned their best opportunity in the 71st minute when he collected Barron’s pass and cut across the box to work a shooting chance on to his favoured left foot, only to blaze his shot harmlessly over from 12 yards.

The North Macedonia international then flashed a stoppage-time header wide from a Hayes free-kick as the match ended in stalemate.

Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie believes they have the squad and mentality to shake off their European exertions and frustration and deal with the visit of St Johnstone on Sunday.

The Dons were looking to follow up a hat-trick of domestic wins when they hosted HJK Helsinki in the Europa Conference League on Thursday but fell behind against the run of play and had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Bojan Miovski levelled.

Shinnie said: “We were a bit deflated. It felt like we played well so the frustration and disappointment is not having won the game.

“We gave away a cheap goal again and I didn’t think we started well after half-time.

“We wanted to come out fast again and set the tempo but we kind of did the opposite and we let them have a bit of control and they took confidence from that.

“We gave away one of the few chances they had on the night and they took it.

“The overriding emotion was frustration that we haven’t won a game we were pretty dominant in over the 90 minutes.

“We had a couple of good chances to win it, I had one on the edge of the area, Duk had a one-on-one, and you need to take those chances to win these ties.

“It’s frustrating but we are unbeaten in four now and we move on to Sunday. If we get a win then it’s been a good period to go into the international break.”

St Johnstone are looking for their first victory in 10 matches.

Shinnie said: “With us having a European game they will fancy it after us putting in so much effort, but we are kind of used to that now and have the squad to control that.

“If we can play to our capacity, we should win the game.”

Ben Davies hopes Rangers got back on track with their 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

The 28-year-old defender made his first start of the season on Saturday after recovering from fitness issues dating back to a hamstring complaint picked up against Aberdeen in May.

Brazilian striker Danilo headed the Light Blues ahead after 16 minutes but had to be immediately substituted along with Saints captain Liam Gordon after both men clashed heads, with the Gers player taken to hospital with a fractured cheekbone.

Substitute Rabbi Matondo added a second in the 79th minute and, after damaging defeats to Celtic and PSV Eindhoven before the international break, the Govan side go into the Europa League opener against Real Betis at Ibrox on Thursday night with renewed confidence.

Davies told RangersTV: “It was good to be back, I felt my fitness – lungs wise – was good and I felt quite strong in the game.

“It was my first 90 minutes since before Aberdeen, so it’s been a long time and I was happy to be out there and involved.

“When I realised I was playing, I was just thinking, ‘Solid performance and clean sheet’. So I was happy that we’ve done that.

“I thought we controlled the game really well, limited them to not much at all. We scored two good goals and could have scored more.

“But it’s a step back in the right direction and the start of hopefully a good run.

“The most important game is always the next one and to bounce back from not a great start (to the season) is crucial to do so at the first opportunity and we’ve done that.

“We sent fans home pretty happy and now we can look forward to playing the next game.

“I’m looking forward to Thursday, under the lights at Ibrox is special, so it’s really important that we find a performance.

“I’ve got a few days now recovering until the next game so hopefully make the most of that and then we can go again.”

St Johnstone are bottom of the table with just two points and no wins in five games, but manager Steven MacLean believes there is better to come from his squad.

The former McDiarmid Park striker said: “I always said we will get better as we go on. We have 11 new signings and we are going to improve.

“There is certainly enough to work with. I was concerned at the start of the season, but the group I have got together now. if we keep working hard and improving we will be fine this season.”

Pressure eased on Michael Beale as Rangers hollowed out a 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone but the Ibrox side again failed to hit the heights.

The Gers boss was under intense scrutiny following defeats to Celtic and PSV Eindhoven before the international break.

Brazilian striker Danilo headed the Light Blues ahead after 16 minutes at McDiarmid Park but had to be substituted after sustaining a head knock in its execution.

Substitute Rabbi Matondo added a second in the 79th minute but it was another unconvincing Gers performance against a side who are still looking for their first league win this season.

Rangers begin their Europa League campaign with a home game against Real Betis on Thursday night and again the Light Blues boss and his players will be under scrutiny but the victory in Perth was crucial to offer some respite.

Accused of still not yet knowing his best team, Beale made six changes with Ben Davies, Ridvan Yilmaz, John Lundstram, Tom Lawrence, Sam Lammers and Danilo back in the side.

Lawrence was making his first start in over a year after recovering from a serious knee injury while Davies made his first appearance of the season.

Saints boss Steven MacLean gave striker Chris Kane his first start since January 2022 and he was one of four changes with captain Liam Gordon, Oludare Olufunwa and Max Kucheriavyi also coming in.

It was a far from impressive start by the visitors but they took the lead following a break from a St Johnstone corner.

Skipper James Tavernier took a pass from Nicolas Raskin, played a one-two with Lammers and went past Graham Carey with ease before crossing for Danilo to head past keeper Dimitar Mitov from six yards.

Danilo cracked heads with Gordon in the aerial joust and both had to go off with Abdallah Sima and Sam McClelland respectively coming on.

The goal relaxed the Govan side a little.

In the 24th minute Sima burst into the St Johnstone box but opted to drive straight at Mitov from an angle with Lammers and Kemar Roofe waiting to tap in.

Mitov saved Sima’s drive from distance before the break but Rangers looked ropey at the start of the second half.

A short pass-back by Davies to Jack Butland saw Kane nip in before it got to the keeper and he tumbled to the ground but referee Nick Walsh ignored penalty claims and the VAR Gavin Duncan did not ask him to have a look.

Kane went sprawling again after being involved with Lawrence inside the box at a St Johnstone corner moments later and again a VAR check brought no joy for the home side.

Rangers still could not get into a flow.

In the 63rd minute Roofe had the ball in the net from a Sima cut-back but the goal was ruled out for an infringement.

MacLean was then booked at the touchline after complaining that referee Walsh had stopped play for a foul for Saints when his side were ready to break.

Lawrence had a decent drive saved by Mitov before Matondo, on for Lammers, raced on to a Lawrence pass and slipped the ball past Mitov to seal three points.

St Johnstone substitute Cammy MacPherson headed a Carey cross past the post from six yards but the Govan side cruised the final stages although, ultimately, it was another Rangers performance that left more questions than answers.

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean was thrilled after his side produced a stunning late fightback to claim a point in the 2-2 draw against Dundee.

The Perth outfit were second best for long spells against their Tayside rivals and found themselves 2-0 down thanks to goals from Scott Tiffoney and Ricki Lamie, but they would be punished for not putting the game beyond doubt.

Max Kucheriavyi came off the bench and gave Saints a lifeline with eight minutes left on the clock, and he earned the unlikely point when he slid the ball home in the sixth minute of added time.

“I’m delighted with the players’ attitude and application, and for the subs to come and make that impact as well,” MacLean said.

“I think our performance wasn’t great if I’m being honest, but to show the character that we did and the subs coming on and making an impact – that’s why we brought those players in.

“When you are poor and you get a result like that, it’s good.”

The Saints boss also hailed the impact of Ukrainian striker Kucheriavyi, who notched his first league goals for the club.

MacLean feels there’s still more to come from the striker, who spent most of last season on loan at Falkirk.

“I’m delighted for the wee man, hopefully he can kick on now. He’s got three goals already this season, that’s a good return and he’s got double figures in him,” he added.

“Hopefully he keeps improving as a player and keeps working hard.”

Tony Docherty admitted he was stunned after witnessing his Dundee side throw away a two-goal lead in Perth.

The visitors looked set to see out a well-deserved victory before suffering late heartache.

However, despite their disappointment, the Dens Park boss believes there are still plenty of positives to take from a good start.

Following clinching the Championship title last season, Dundee have taken five points from their opening four cinch Premiership fixtures.

“I’m actually quite shocked, it’s not often I’m speechless,” he said.

“We had opportunities to make it three or four nothing and I think that would have been an accurate reflection on the balance of play.

“It’s massively two points dropped but when the dust settles there’s so much I can be pleased about in terms of performance, particularly going forward.

“I can’t be too hard on the boys, but we need to learn. I said after the St Mirren game that it’s a punishing league and if you allow the opposition opportunities then you’ll get punished.”

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean told his players to start looking over their shoulders as he claimed a 2-0 defeat at Ross County left them in a “dogfight” already.

Saints have followed their Viaplay Cup exit with successive defeats in their opening two cinch Premiership matches.

Goals from substitute Kyle Turner and defender Connor Randall either side of half-time put County in control, but the host could have been out of sight at that point.

Despite facing a lengthy injury list, MacLean pulled no punches in his post-match assessment in Dingwall.

“It was poor – individually, two players got pass marks. We didn’t show enough desire or commitment, didn’t win first contact or second balls. They out-battled and out-fought us,” he said.

“We need to get players in and we need to get players back from injury. We are in a dogfight already and they know that. We need help.

“The players who were out there haven’t done themselves any favours and they need to look over their shoulder. I include myself in that – we are all in this together.”

MacLean added: “Do you know what, we have been sitting here for two years. Some of those boys have let the club down. Either that, or they are not good enough. Simple as that.

“They need to start taking some responsibility. They have been protected long enough – (it is) not good enough.

“They will need to look over their shoulders. You have got to show a hunger and desire to do your job and do the fundamentals.”

County manager Malky Mackay was frustrated his side were not further ahead at the interval.

“I was probably a little bit disappointed at half-time that it wasn’t put to bed,” he said.

“We had some great opportunities in the first half. On any given day, we might have been 4-0 up and the game is dead. It wasn’t.

“Kyle Turner scored a good goal, but at 1-0 we realised Steven would be getting torn into St Johnstone and that they would come out flying.

“In those situations, the opposition can be a bit carefree and play passes they wouldn’t normally play because they have to get back into it. For 15 minutes, we settled it down and made sure we defended properly.”

Goals from substitute Kyle Turner and defender Connor Randall gave Ross County their first cinch Premiership win with a 2-0 victory over St Johnstone, who remain pointless.

The visitors were missing 10 first-team squad players because of injuries and it showed as a patched-up side struggled to contain Ross County’s forwards for the majority of the first half.

County created four chances in the opening 20 minutes when Josh Sims and Simon Murray each had two opportunities to break the deadlock.

But it was Saints who almost grabbed an unmerited lead.

County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw threw himself to his right to punch clear Daniel Phillips’ well-struck effort from 20 yards, which looked set for the top corner.

But it seemed only a matter of time before County scored, with debutant Ryan Leak seeing a header blocked and then Sims nodding wide.

Turner, who had replaced injured Yan Dhanda, displayed much more accurate finishing when he took advantage of poor defending to break the deadlock with a side-foot effort in the 41st minute.

Saints manager Steven MacLean made tactical re-adjustments for the second half in an effort to limit County to fewer openings.

But the visitors were once again exposed when Murray just failed to make contact with a cross from James Brown before Randall doubled the lead in the 52nd minute.

Sims did well to set up Randall, who found the far side of the net with an angled drive from 20 yards.

The Staggies, though, had to endure a five-minute spell of sustained pressure immediately following Randall’s goal when Sam McClelland McClelland and substitute Taylor Steven both threatened.

County’s failure to produce crisper finishing might also have come back to haunt them after 72 minutes had Turner not popped up on the line to block a shot from Ryan McGowan.

Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy praised his players after they overcame first-half rustiness to secure an impressive 2-0 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on the cinch Premiership’s opening day.

In a close game that began after a short delay with a VAR power failure, Yutaro Oda eventually gave Hearts the lead with 15 minutes to go with a superb low strike and Lawrence Shankland sealed the win deep into stoppage time with a tap-in after unselfish play from Liam Boyce.

McAvoy – who was given the job in June on a full-time basis, alongside technical director Steven Naismith – also admitted relief as the Tynecastle side started the season with a victory ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League qualifier against Rosenborg.

He said: “I’m probably relieved for myself and the background team but delighted for the players and the supporters who I thought were fantastic.

“They came out in big numbers so delighted we’ve managed to get the three points and keep a clean sheet.

“The VAR breaking down before the game started probably didn’t help us much and it allowed them to settle a bit and put pressure on us.

“We know we were a bit rusty. St Johnstone have had more competitive games.

“You can have pre-season games like we’ve had but it’s not the real stuff. We knew that we just needed to be at it today and we felt as the game went on we got a wee bit better.”

Hearts gave competitive debuts to new signings Frankie Kent and Calem Nieuwenhof from the start, while Kyosuke Tagawa and Alex Lowry made debuts from the bench.

Lowry signed on loan from Rangers just yesterday and he was singled out for praise by McAvoy, who was pleased with the impact of his substitutes.

He added: “We’re delighted with the impact the subs made in the game and you can see the quality they’ve added. That’s great for the squad because we need strength in depth and we need them being really competitive.

“You can see that (Alex) Lowry’s got a bit of quality. We knew that. He’s coming from a massive club in Rangers as well. We’re delighted that he wanted to come here which was pleasing.

“He had a lot of options on the table and he chose to come here which is credit to him. He had the chance to go down south but he felt like we play in the right manner.”

St Johnstone boss Steven MacLean, meanwhile, was pleased with the reaction from his players after last week’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Stirling Albion.

Despite not getting anything from the game, Saints competed for large periods and could have taken the lead through Liam Gordon and Graham Carey before Hearts’ breakthrough.

MacLean said: “I thought our performance was a lot better. We worked very hard for each other. We’re going to be a work in progress.

“Liam Gordon had a great chance and we had another couple of opportunities as well and you’ve got to take your chances against the better teams in the league – any games in fact.

“In terms of attitude, performance and work-rate, I’m happy with them.

“I think when you look at it, it’s one long ball into the box and we don’t win the first contact and the boy scores.

“That’s the difference today. If you look at Hearts’ bench, what they had to bring on and the difference from ours.

“I’m happy with my squad and I’m happy with my team today. We’ll get better going forward, we’ll bring in some more bodies and we will improve.”