Livingston

Livingston's mini-revival ended with a late goal in a 3-2 loss to Ross County that means the West Lothian side are six points adrift of the Dingwall side at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Now, on Wednesday, they host a Motherwell outfit without a win in four outings but who will themselves feel aggrieved to have lost to reigning champions Celtic thanks to two late goals at Fir Park on Sunday.

Who would you like to see in your Livi starting XI? Pick your team here.

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I sensed a change in David Martindale this weekend. Ahead of kick-off, you could see he was desperate for the game to start.

Before the relegation rivals met, I said it would be vitally important that Ross County picked up the three points and put Livingston to bed. However, with the way the game unfolded, I'm not sure it's a closed case.

They’ve got absolutely huge games to come against Motherwell and then St Johnstone. Now, Ross County are only two points behind the Perth Saints with a game in hand.

This next week is going to be absolutely huge for all three clubs at the bottom of the relegation tussle.

Despite losing that big game in the Highlands, I wouldn’t write Livingston off just yet. I saw a bit of the old Livi – and a bit of the old Martindale – on Saturday afternoon.

That’s not to say they’re going to survive, but even after defeat, I’m just not as certain as I was two weeks ago. It should be a fascinating conclusion to the season.

Michael Stewart was speaking to BBC Scotland's Sean McGill

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Former Scotland defender Lee McCulloch admits Livingston's defeat to relegation rivals Ross County is a big blow in their survival hopes.

The West Lothian side had mounted a comeback to peg Don Cowie's men back from two goals down, but a late Josh Sims winner caused heartbreak in the Highlands.

Despite avoiding automatic relegation looking increasingly unlikely, McCulloch fully expects David Martindale to keep fighting until the very end.

"That was a big one, a real big one," he told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The week before beating St. Mirren was their first one in 17. It was an amazing stat.

"You're thinking if they can go and get a result at Ross County, they'll be dragging them into the relegation battle, but it just wasn't to be.

"The goals they lost were soft, albeit Brophy's second goal was an unbelievable finish.

"He'll be very disappointed, but they'll keep fighting until it's mathematically impossible to stay up."

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Brian McLauchlin, BBC Sport Scotland

David Martindale says he is unfazed by pundits' predictions that his Livingston side are already destined for the drop.

The West Lothian side are once again six points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership after their weekend defeat to 11th-placed Ross County, who also have a game in hand.

But the Livi boss insists his team will continue to fight to stay in the top flight, a feat that would taste "a wee bit sweeter" given how some have written off their chances.

“I’ve had it from matchday one since the first game in the Premiership. It’s been the same story. That was six years ago. I’ve been pretty vocal that a broken clock is right twice a day so if that was to happen then you will have all these media pundits saying ‘I told you so.’

“Where were their predictions for the five years previously? It doesn’t really bother me. Will it feel that wee bit sweeter if we can keep Livingston in the Premiership? Probably, yes.

“We have a chance to get it back in Wednesday night. It’s not done and dusted. We are six points behind with 11 games left to play.

“I think if we can pick up three points on Wednesday, given Ross County play tomorrow against St Mirren - we can also throw St Johnstone into that mix as well - if we can claw three points back from somewhere it puts a wee bit of pressure on the teams above us.

“I genuinely believe we have players good enough to stay in this league. I need to make sure the players believe that also."

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Brian McLauchlin, BBC Sport Scotland

Livingston manager David Martindale has been speaking to the media as his side looking to bounce back from a dramatic defeat in the Highlands when they host Motherwell on Wednesday.

Here are the key points:

• Accepts his share of responsibility for losing basement battle at Ross County on Saturday, saying the first goal may have "drained the confidence" out of his players despite their comeback from two goals down.

• Not concerned that some pundits have his side as good as relegated, arguing that he's heard these predictions from the very start of his tenure. Adds it would be "a wee bit sweeter" to prove them wrong and retain Premiership status.

• Maintains his squad is "good enough" to beat the drop and he must ensure the players believe that themselves.

• Assessing his relegation rivals, he states St Johnstone can still be thrown "into that mix" if Livingston "claw three points back from somewhere".

• However, he says Motherwell have "turned a corner" as he praises Stuart Kettlewell for instilling an "attacking threat" and making his team "very good at home".

Josh Sims nets in injury time to give Ross County a 3-2 win over relegation rivals Livingston, who are now six points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership. (Available to UK users only)

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Michael Nottingham believes his Livingston team got overexcited after they pegged Ross County back to 2-2 only to concede again late on.

Defeat in the Premiership's basement battle leaves David Martindale's side six points adrift at the bottom again, with nearest rivals County holding a game in hand up their sleeve.

But the defender insists the West Lothian club can still beat the drop with 11 games still be played.

"I'm absolutely devastated, disappointed, frustrated," Nottingham said. "It was a poor start. We caused our own problems, they didn't really have to work hard for their goals. We had a mountain to climb.

"We come out and get the early goal and put them under pressure. We had the momentum. To put all that hard work in and get it back to level, I think maybe we got a little bit giddy going for the win. We maybe didn't realise in that moment how important it was to not lose that game.

"Every one of us has put in a right shift to try and rectify what has happened and it all comes undone at the end of the game.

"It's not over yet. We've got to keep fighting and keep believing, but we can't keep making it so hard for ourselves.

"It's an even bigger game now on Wednesday night. We've got to keep grafting. There's loads of points still to be made, so we've just go to keep going."

We asked for your thoughts after Livingston suffered a devastating defeat in dramatic fashion at relegation rivals Ross County.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Anon: Performances have improved. Fans are fickle and we've had a dig at Davie and the squad, but look at what they've done as a club with a next to nothing budget. Effort needs to be applauded, fans need to turn up support manager and team.

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• Livingston attempted 18 shots in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Ross County have a record of W3, D0, L0 when leading at half-time in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Livingston have conceded 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Dundee (16) and Aberdeen (15) have conceded more in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Ross County have conceded 11 goals to opposition substitutes in the Scottish Premiership this season, no team has conceded more.

• Bruce Anderson has scored five goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Livingston player in the Scottish Premiership.

• Simon Murray has assisted three goals this season (two in this game), no Ross County player has more in the Scottish Premiership.

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Livingston manager David Martindale tells BBC Scotland: "First half, we weren't at it. Toothless. We try to get the reaction and we manage to get back in the game. I thought the boys were magnificent.

"I was going to change it back to the four, take the point and go back down the road. I thought we had the momentum. Maybe I should have changed the shape back. Hindsight's a great thing in football, isn't it?

"I thought we were really fortunate to get the first goal in terms of the VAR decision.

"I think there's enough character or spirit. We'll keep swinging and fighting until it's mathematically impossible. We've got that hill to climb again, which I think we're more than capable of doing.

"We need to regroup and go again. We can't change anything. I think they showed enough fighting spirit in the second half. Our game management has got to be better.

"It's a difficult one to lose late on, but that's football. If I was to dwell on previous games, you'd be in a dark place. I'll make sure the players that go on that park on Wednesday night are capable of taking three points because that's what we need to do."

Did you make the long trip to Dingwall?

Wherever you were, we want to hear from you. Are Livingston's hopes of staying alive now all but over?

Let us know.

Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

This is a savage blow for David Martindale and his players. Buoyed by a first win in 17 league games last week, the manager spoke of positive momentum.

That will have somewhat evaporated with this result, although six points is far from insurmountable.

Bruce Anderson's introduction at half-time almost got them a point as he netted two classic striker's goals. The first, just two minutes after the restart, was a low first-time finish by Wickens.

It was his first in the league since October, but he did not have to wait long for another as he controlled Tete Yengi's pass and again drove the ball into the net.

The second came from just one touch and another low shot into the net just four minutes from the end.

But unlike Livingston sides in previous seasons, they have a habit of making games open and frantic.

This time, they were punished. Although, there was a split second when everyone in the ground thought they'd grabbed a last-ditch equaliser.

But Sean Kelly's powerful volley had smashed the side netting.

Unsurprisingly, Livingston go with the same XI that started the win against St Mirren.

Goalkeeper Jack Hamilton is back on the bench, as is full-back Cristian Montano.

Livingston: George, Brandon, Nottingham, Obileye, Sangare, Shinnie, Carson, Holt, Nouble, Stephen Kelly, Yengi.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Montano, Devlin, Anderson, MacKay, Sean Kelly, Guthrie.

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Livingston are still "buzzing" from last weekend's win over St Mirren, says goalkeeper Shamal George.

David Martindale's side grabbed their first win since October with a 1-0 victory last Saturday that has them three points behind this weekend's opponents Ross County.

“We’ve obviously got Ross County, St Johnstone and Motherwell, three teams around us," George said.

"One game at a time but it’s a good time to try to bring teams back into it with us.

“Even though we haven’t been playing great lately I feel like Partick was a turnaround for us and fingers crossed we can go continue that going towards the end of the season.

“We got three big games now, which we need to get points from to bring others back into the mix.

“Like I said, one game at a time but everyone is focused on those three games because they’re three teams around us. Fingers crossed we can go to Ross County and get the points we need."

George has revealed a team bonding session helped to get Livi's squad pulling together.

"We went for some food and it brought the boys together and everyone had a good time," he said.

“I think it was needed. We weren’t doing anything together as a team so it was good for the boys to be out again.

“It must have had some effect, it was a big win against St Mirren and everyone is still buzzing from it.”

Manager David Martindale has bemoaned his ability to strengthen Livingston's squad because of financial constraints, but the January arrival of Tete Yengi after the striker's release by Ipswich Town could prove to be a bargain.

After two substitute appearances, the 23-year-old has started the next three games, with the last two providing rare victories that have taken the West Lothian side into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals and narrowed the gap at the foot of the table to three points with Ross County.

The rangy Australian found the net in those victories over Partick Thistle and St Mirren to take his total to three goals from five games already.

After fairly barren spells at Northampton Town and Finnish side KuPS, he could be rediscovering the potency shown in his first loan in Finland with VPS - and appears to have helped fellow forward Joel Nouble find his mojo again too.

Martindale will hope the pair continue their double act as they head to Dingwall for a game it is impossible not to view as a six-pointer in their head-to-head with County to avoid the automatic relegation spot.

Read all the weekend's Premiership picks

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• Ross County are unbeaten in three league games against Livingston (W1 D2), picking up as many points in this time (5) as they had across their previous seven against them in the Scottish Premiership (W1 D2 L4).

• Livingston have only lost one of their last six league trips to Ross County (W2 D3), a 2-0 defeat in May 2023.

• Ross County have lost each of their last four league matches, last losing five in a row within a single season in the Scottish Premiership in December 2020 (6).

• Livingston come into this match having lost all of their last nine away matches in the Scottish Premiership; they last lost more in a row within a single top-flight season when losing each of their final 11 away games of the 2005-06 campaign.

• Ross County have gained just one point from a losing position this season in the Scottish Premiership (2-2 draw v Hibernian), fewer than any other team in the competition. In fact, the Staggies have gone on to lose each of the last 10 league matches in which they have conceded the first goal.

It's a big one.

Livingston make the trek to Dingwall with the knowledge they can move level on points with opponents Ross County if they head home victorious.

After ending their 17-game winless run against St Mirren last weekend, should David Martindale stick with the same team? Pick your XI here.