Livingston

Nick McPheat
BBC Scotland

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It felt like the story of Livingston's season when a dejected David Martindale watched Bojan Miovski smash in what he thought was a gut-wrenching losing goal, but he will now feel like luck is finally on his side.

The issue is that luck has almost certainly come too late, but this hard-fought point is a lifeline for Martindale and his players, who will continue to fight in their final six games.

Confirmation of a bottom-six finish compounds a miserable season for Aberdeen, a campaign so grim that moving seven points clear of 11th spot feels like the biggest positive of their day.

Given how poor their season has been, the Aberdeen board could do worse than allowing the season to play out with Peter Leven at the helm.

The caretaker manager has steadied the ship by taking seven points from his last three games and has crucially bought the Pittodrie hierarchy time in their new manager search.

Livingston hope to be able to welcome back Joel Nouble after an ankle issue, but James Penrice (hip), Andrew Shinnie (groin) and Cristian Montano (hamstring) are expected to remain on the sidelines.

Angus MacDonald and Killian Phillips are both in contention to feature for Aberdeen. Interim boss Peter Leven has said Slobodan Rubezic is unavailable, however, and he will return to training next week.

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David Martindale says his Livingston side haven't been consistent enough to warrant their place in the Scottish top flight.

The West Lothian side go into Saturday's game against Aberdeen 10 points adrift at the bottom of the table.

"We are making bad decisions in games," he said. "We string together very good moments in games but then one poor decision changes the game.

"I think we have fallen a wee bit short as a group this year. The consistency has been the key one for me, if you want to be in the Scottish Premiership you have to be consistent and we have not been consistent enough.

"This is my 10th season at Livingston. I came into win that game of football on matchday one and that is not going to change on matchday 38 whatever the situation is.

"I do not come to work to get beat. My position, my mindset isn't going to change whatever that league position is.

"We have got a duty to the fans and the club to make sure we are giving maximum effort in every game."

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David Martindale has been speaking to the media as Livingston prepare to face Aberdeen on Saturday.

Here are the main points:

• Martindale says his side a really struggling with injuries, although James Penrice and Joel Nouble are getting closer to a return.

• He adds that there's a group of about 13 or 14 that can be relied on to start games but outwith that they are finding it difficult.

• Says his personal mental resilience has been key for ignoring the external noise and keeping his players motivated.

• Martindale acknowledges that there have been good moments in games but their poor decision-making has let them down and they've not been "consistent enough" to be a Premiership side.

• Praised Peter Leven for "steadying the ship" at Aberdeen. He knows how tough Saturday's game will be given the quality the Dons have.

• Insists himself and the players are "fighting for their future" in every game and assured fans they'll keep pushing until matchday 38.

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• Livingston are unbeaten in their last three home games against Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, winning two (D1). This after only winning one of their first 13 top-flight matches against the Dons at the Tony Macaroni Arena (D5 L7).

• Aberdeen have won six of their last 10 league meetings with Livingston (D1 L3), going unbeaten in each of the last three matchups in the Scottish Premiership (W2 D1) whilst also keeping two clean sheets.

• Livingston have won just one of their last 23 league matches (D4 L18), losing four of their last five (D1) while conceding three goals in each of those four defeats.

• Aberdeen ended a run of five straight league defeats away from home when beating Motherwell 1-0 last time out on the road. The Dons could win back-to-back away league matches for the first time since April 2023 (three in a row).

• Jamie McGrath has scored eight league goals for Aberdeen this season, matching his total for Dundee United last season. Only in 2020-21 (10 for St Mirren) has he netted more in a single Scottish Premiership campaign.

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Ayo Obileye insists his Livingston teammates haven't "spat the dummy out" despite their bleak position at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

The West Lothian side are 10 points adrift with seven games to go and host an Aberdeen side that has one back-to-back league games to move away from the relegation zone.

Defender Obileye admits their awful run of form has taken a toll on the mood in the Livingston camp, but says they will keep swinging until the bell tolls.

"Some boys are obviously down sometimes," he said. "Everybody's going to be down when you're losing every week.

"At the same time, everyone has the faith and belief. No one's really spat the dummy out and given up. The boys have still got the fire in their belly knowing we're still in it and it's not done until it's done.

"The boys get on to each other every single day if they're not pulling their weight. I believe this is a really good team, the season might not have shown that.

"Once we get that first win, I think we can start a run. We're going to go out there at the weekend, give it everything we've got and see what happens".

Joel Nouble, Ayo Obileye and Bruce Anderson will all leave Livingston in the summer when their contracts expire. (Herald, external, subscription required)

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

Livingston are hanging onto life in the Scottish Premiership by a thread.

Should David Martindale make changes to the side that will face Aberdeen as they try to make up some of the 10 points that separate them from 11th-placed Ross County?

Tell us your preferred starting XI here.

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Goalkeeper Michael McGovern has returned to Hearts after a short loan spell at Livingston.

The 39-year-old former Norwich keeper signed when Livi were hit with injuries to Shamal George and Jack Hamilton in January.

McGovern made five appearances for David Martindale's side and although initially joined on loan until the end of the season returns to his parent club.

“Michael came in at a time when we were really struggling with no available first-team goalkeepers due to injuries picked up by both Shamal and Jack,” Livi manager Martindale said.

“With both keepers now back to full fitness and available for selection again, Michael has returned to Hearts for the remainder of the season.

“I want to thank Michael for his time at Livingston and his professionalism whilst here. Seeing him working on a daily basis to the standards he sets made it very evident as to why he has had such a prolonged career at the top level.”

Manager David Martindale says Livingston need substantial investment in order to compete with clubs in the top six of the Scottish Premiership again and revealed there will be a "massive reset" in the summer due to "external" factors even if they avoid relegation. (The Herald), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

Livingston have had a good record against Celtic in recent years and I had a sneaking suspicion we may just get something out of Sunday's game.

We played well against them in the recent Scottish Cup game at Celtic Park and they don’t like the artificial grass, so this could have been a quirky result.

Unfortunately, this went to form and Celtic turned up. We played well enough defensively, restricting them for the first half, but they were just too good for us.

They played with a tempo we struggled with even with four centre-backs making up a makeshift defence.

The first goal was unlucky but you could see it was coming. Shamal George made a few good saves, although he won’t want to see the third again. That was one he would normally save.

We just weren’t at the races for this game sadly and we edged ever closer to the relegation trap door. In fact, the half-time chat was all about which players may stay and be up for the battle in the Championship.

One player I hope we can hold on to is Tete Yengi. He had absolutely no service but never stopped running and putting in a big effort. I can’t see us keeping him, although even Lyndon Dykes did a spell in the Championship before coming to us. We can only hope Yengi’s loving life in Livingston.

One player who looks certain to leave is James Penrice. He’s a local lad and it’s been a pleasure seeing his career develop with a loan spell and then coming back to establish himself at a Premiership player.

Good luck to him, he’s a great lad and deserves the opportunity to move on.

His story is just how it should be at Livi. Come to the club, improve and get a move to a bigger team, hopefully with a fee for us too.

It’s a model we’ll need to work even more next season to attract players to the club.

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Kevin Thomson isn't a betting man, but if he was, he admits his money would be on Livingston to drop out of the top flight this season. And as the campaign nears its close, he's not the only one.

Defeat to Celtic on Sunday leaves David Martindale's side still 10 points behind Ross County with just seven games remaining and the former Scotland international is struggling to see where the miracle will come from this campaign.

"I've got a lot of admiration for Davie and the job's he done. I feel for him, but you just wonder how many times they can continue to punch above their weight and be competitive," he added.

"I know he'll probably say the same, and he probably gets a wee bit frustrated talking about budgets and always being up against it and trying to recruit the right players, but he's consistently done that.

"I don't think anyone will ever take away how well a job he's done, but, the harsh reality is it does look like it might come to an end this season, which will be a shame.

"Hopefully they can bounce back if they do [go down], without already relegating them, but as the table suggests, it looks as though the inevitable is almost there.

"Even though I'm not a betting man, my money would be certainly on them to go down."

We asked for your thoughts after Livingston's defeat to Celtic.

Here's what you had to say:

Jennifer: If it hadn't been for the goalkeeper it would've been easy five or six in the second half. We didn't pose any threat at all.

Kev: On paper points for survival are there, though performances aren't. There are a few players who are not giving their all for the team.

Phillip: The Championship is inevitable now. I'm still confused as to why the board didn’t make a management change earlier than now. It seems that they have just accepted relegation as our fate. I’m very worried about the future of the club given the financial implications of relegation to a team already struggling financially in the Premiership.

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Stephen Kelly admits Livingston have "not been good enough" for the majority of the season, but says the team are "fully focused" on getting a win against Aberdeen in their next game.

Celtic were held by Livi until half time, but Jamie Brandon's own goal four minutes into the second half led to an ultimately comfortable 3-0 victory for Brendan Rodgers' side.

"We put a lot of effort into the first half, at the same time the amount of possession and attacks Celtic had, it felt like a matter of time before they got that goal," Kelly said.

"Ultimately we didn't cause much going the other way which would have taken a bit of pressure off us at the back.

"The message [from David Martindale at half time] was more of the same. They did have a lot of territory but we did limit their chances. Against players of that quality when they get that much time, it can only be a matter of time before it leads to a mistake or a bit of skill and ultimately that's what happened today.

"Everybody will be fully focused on the next match and trying to get a win. We know the majority of the season hasn't been good enough but we just need to take each game as it comes at the moment."

Is there any hope of survival for Livingston? David Martindale's men kept Celtic at bay in the first half but were totally overrun after conceding the opening goal shortly after the break.

Have your say here.

Substitutes Adam Idah, James Forrest and Daniel Kelly all came close to adding to Celtic's tally in the closing moments as their goal difference moves to one better than Rangers.

Serving a suspension in the stand, manager Brendan Rodgers will have seen his team play better but will be satisfied with the way they remained patient to break down opponents set up to defend en masse.

Cameron Carter-Vickers lasted the full game after his latest injury setback, although the centre-half had very little to do.

Hatate was much more conspicuous during his 63 minutes of action. His touch, composure and energy have been missed and he could be a key player over the run-in.

Livingston have only scored nine goals at home in 15 league games and at no stage threatened to add to that meagre total.

Yes, Tete Yengi put himself about but the lone centre forward did not get a sniff of a chance in the penalty box.

Manager David Martindale set up with four central defenders and five midfielders grafting hard to subdue Celtic, but the plan went up in smoke the moment the unlucky Brandon knocked the ball into his own net.

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