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Ross County manager Neale Cooper has finally captured the signature of pacy Livingston striker Mark McCormick after tracking the player for more than a year.
It is believed that Livingston will pick up a five-figure check after McCormick agreed terms on an 18-month Dingwall deal yesterday.
The 21-year-old was impressed by the club's facilities when he visited Victoria Park yesterday.
He said: "The facilities here in Dingwall would be the envy of some Premier League clubs as everything you need is readily available, including a training pitch.
"I've known Ross County striker Derek Holmes since I was seven years old and, of course, Marc Millar was at Livingston before he came up here. Both lads could not speak highly enough about the club and the supporters.
"Barry Wilson is a local Dingwall lad and told me how good a club Ross County are. After talking to the chairman and manager, who are both so enthusiastic, I had no hesitation in signing.
"I sat in the stand at last Saturday's game and could see just how passionate the fans are up here for their football and I hope to be able to do my bit to give them something to shout about."
Cooper said: "I've been interested in Mark for a long time but even a month ago Livingston turned down an offer from ourselves. But we had the ideal opportunity to talk to them again after last Saturday's game and this time they were prepared to do business.
"Mark wants to play first-team football and will get an early chance over the next few weeks – with Alex Bone out through suspension – to stake his claim for a regular place in the side.
"I'm delighted to land a player of Mark McCormick's undoubted talent and I'm sure he'll do well at the club."
McCormick is expected to make his debut in tomorrow's First Division clash at Alloa.
Leading scorer Alex Bone is suspended until December 30, so the new man has a great chance.
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Ross County last night signed defender Mark Perry from Aberdeen until the end of the season and experienced Dunfermline Athletic striker Owen Coyle on a month's loan.
The double swoop completed a signing treble this week for County manager Neale Cooper.
Cooper added 21-year-old striker Mark McCormick, a £30,000 buy from Livingston, to the Dingwall squad earlier this week and all three new faces will go into County's line-up for today's trip to Alloa.
Perry and Coyle will join up with County's 16-man squad en route to Recreation Park today and Cooper is confident his three new faces will give his side a new edge.
He said: "Mark Perry is a quality defender who makes good use of the ball out of defence and he's always been associated with Premier League clubs, having joined the Dons from Dundee United.
"He's also a threat at set-piece situations and is a major addition to our squad which has been dwindling through injuries and transfers of late.
"I'm also pleased that Owen Coyle has decided to join us on a month's loan, especially as he would have been one of the Dunfermline substitutes for tomorrow's game against Celtic.
"Instead, he will be in our side at Alloa. He's a brilliant player to have in the dressing-room as well as being a top-quality finisher in the box.
"We're delighted that both Aberdeen and Dunfermline have been able to help us out. They have been excellent to deal with."
Perry said last night: "I was very impressed with what County chairman Roy MacGregor had to say and they clearly have ambition because I'm joining two other new additions to their squad for the game at Alloa tomorrow.
"I've been looking for regular first-team football and now I've got my chance to establish myself with County. If I'm happy there, there's no way I would rule out staying on."
Wasps boss Terry Christie is looking for his part-timers to continue the fine form which saw them defeat First Division title chasers Falkirk and draw at Clyde in the past fortnight.
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Loan defender Mark Perry made his first senior start in almost six weeks when he turned out for Ross County at Alloa.
The 29-year-old Aberdeen right back is determined to use his loan spell to relaunch his career.
The former Dundee United man has fallen down the pecking order at Pittodrie under Doss Ebbe Skovdahl. But he turned in a solid performance for the Highlanders against Terry Christie's rejuvenated Wasps.
Perry said: "The last couple of months have been very frustrating for me. I've not been getting a game at Aberdeen and I feel it's vital at this stage of my career that I'm playing every week.
"That's why I decided to move to Ross County, to get the chance to play every week and perhaps to put myself in the shop window for other clubs, although I wouldn't mind staying here permanently.
"This is a competitive league and I think Alloa are the only side who aren't full-time, but they gave us a hard match.
"I enjoyed it. We had a lot of possession and were unlucky with a few shots that dropped the wrong way, although they also had their chances."
The Wasps missed the best chance of the game when Ian Little rattled a 26th-minute penalty against the crossbar after Nicky Walker had been harshly penalised for a foul on Colin Nish.
Alloa also went close in a dour affair in the 78th minute when substitute Willie Irvine's shot deflected off John Fraser and rebounded off the visitors' post.
However, County might have snatched it two minutes from the end when Brian Irvine's header was cleared off the line by Nish.
Terry Christie watched his side stretch their unbeaten run to three matches and said: "If any side deserved the three points on the day it was ourselves. We hit the woodwork a few times and I feel that Ross Hamilton gave a real threat on the break with his pace.
"I would have preferred the win to the draw, but I would also like to be able to go out and spend money to bring in three players, like Ross County did through last week.
"It shows that, financially, the teams we're competing against are a lot better off than we are.
"However, our players have put everything into the past five or six matches. I can't praise them enough for their efforts, although we know that sometimes the quality could be better."
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Ross County yesterday signed Morton's out-of-contract striker Karim Boukraa and the Frenchman goes straight into the Dingwall side's squad for this afternoon's tricky trip to tackle Ayr United.
The 27-year-old striker is Neale Cooper's fourth signing in the last fortnight, with Mark McCormick, Mark Perry and Owen Coyle, on a short-term loan deal, all pledging their immediate future to the Dingwall club.
The County boss firmly believes this was the right time to strengthen his squad.
Cooper said: "Releasing nine players during the close season and losing John McGlashan, Derek Ferguson, George Shaw, Davie Ross and Paul Kinnaird over the last few months had left us with a fairly tight squad - especially when you think we have Kenny Gilbert, Marc Millar and Frank Escalon out with long-term injuries and Alex Bone suspended until the end of the year.
"Karim was out of contract at Morton and I'm delighted he has decided to join us. He's played against us twice already this season and impressed on both occasions.
"He can either play up front or just off the front as an attacking midfielder, so that again gives us various options.
"McCormick, Perry and Coyle have all done well for us since joining the club and I'm sure Karim will also come in and give us that extra edge.
"Ayr United are a very tough team to beat, especially as they will still be smarting from that 7-3 defeat by Caley Thistle at Inverness a couple of weeks ago.
"However, if we can continue our recent level of performances we certainly have the type of players to cause them problems.
"Although we haven't scored in our last two games, we have tightened things up at the back and looked fairly secure. Not losing a goal on either occasion is particularly pleasing.
"We've been creating a lot of chances and, hopefully, we'll now start to convert some of them."
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Ross County inflicted Ayr United's first home defeat of the season with an exciting, attacking performance which left Dingwall boss Neale Cooper for once struggling for superlatives to sum up his feelings about the County new-boys.
Cooper said: "I'm absolutely delighted with the result, as it was an outstanding performance by the lads who reaped the reward for all their hard work on the training ground.
"I'm really pleased too for our fans who made the long journey down to Ayr and their support is very much appreciated by all the players.
"The new lads who have come into the squad in recent weeks were tremendous, while I would not want to play down the vital part played by our regulars.
"Karim Boukraa only met the rest of the lads on Friday and came into the side to show fantastic ability. He's so strong and worked really hard until we took him off after an hour.
"Mark McCormick capped an unbelievable performance with a tremendous goal.
"He's a tremendously exciting type of player, who is still only 21, and he teased the Ayr defence by going inside and out all afternoon.
"As for Owen Coyle, I've never seen a better pro in the dressing room in all my time in the game. His enthusiasm is infectious and he's an inspiration to the rest of the lads.
"At the back, Nicky Walker was unlucky to give away a soft penalty but showed his class by making a tremendous save from the spot-kick."
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