Livingston

Partick Thistle will fancy their chances against Livingston, but that's possibly more to do with the terrible form of the visitors.

Thistle destroyed Ross County in the previous round, making up for some of the pain of last term's dramatic play-off defeat.

Livingston's only victory since early October came on the same afternoon as they edged out Raith Rovers in West Lothian and David Martindale's strugglers may feel even more deflated after losing out to a late goal at Rugby Park on Wednesday.

• Themes, figures & shocks: Full Scottish Cup last-16 preview

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Livingston may be on the cusp of fixing their fortunes after some improved displays, says Scott McDermott of the Sunday Mail.

David Martindale's side travel Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup last 16, which could prove a welcome reprieve from their 17-game winless run in the Premiership.

"We all know Livingston have been struggling in the league and I think the league will really be Davie Martindale's priority at the minute," McDermott told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I think Kris Doolan will see it as a real opportunity for Partick Thistle to go and progress.

"The only thing I would say is I've watched the highlights of Livingston's last couple of games and you do get the sense that they're just beginning to improve slightly.

"I think their performance at Killie in the last game at Rugby Park, I think they were the better team in the first half.

"I've just got a feeling that Livi are beginning to turn that around a wee bit, especially with Ross County's demise in the league as well, bringing them in closer at the bottom of the table."

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Livingston boss David Martindale insists he did not mean to disrespect Derek Adams with comments made after the former Ross County manager's departure.

Speaking to BBC Scotland after his side's late defeat at Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Martindale said he was "gutted" to hear that Adams had resigned from his post after just 12 matches.

With the West Lothian side bottom of the Premiership, six points adrift of the Highland outfit in 11th, the manager said negativity at County boosted his team's chances of survival.

“I made comments after the Kilmarnock game that probably in hindsight were a wee bit disrespectful to Derek but I want to put that into context,” Martindale said in his media conference on Friday.

“I think it’s common knowledge Derek was unhappy being at Ross County, I think his previous press conferences tell you that. Scottish football’s a goldfish bowl and it’s common knowledge the players were unhappy.

“So you had an unhappy manager and unhappy players and of course it is better for Livingston for that unhappy environment to remain.

“Ross County having unhappy players in the changing room and an unhappy manager who is perceived to not want to be at Ross County, I would rather that situation remained. I’m not going to sit here and tell lies.

“So I was gutted that they made that change, or Derek made that change, because ultimately the more negativity at Ross County the better it’s going to be for ourselves. But I need to focus on Livingston rather than Ross County.

“That’s just to give my comments after the game a wee bit of context. I wasn’t just being disrespectful in terms of Derek.”

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Livingston midfielder David Carson admits the narrow Kilmarnock defeat was a "sore one to take", but insists there is still belief in the dressing room they can turn things around.

David Martindale's side sit bottom of the Scottish Premiership, six points adrift of Ross County - who have two games in hand.

"It's a sore one to take," Carson said, speaking to Livingston club media, external. "I thought we were in the game and created the better opportunities and didn't take them

"We've got to try to dust ourselves off but the boys in [the dressing room] are really down and rightly so because I thought we deserved more from the game.

"On another day it could have been a different result.

"I've loved it. We're in a difficult position but there's a lot of belief in that dressing room and around the club.

"We all know we all need to pull in the right direction and dig in. We need to move on now and really start picking up points."

Livi fans, what did you make of your side's performance as they fell to a late defeat at Rugby Park?

Have your say on the game here.

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Livingston manager David Martindale tells BBC Scotland: "I thought defensively we were very good tonight. The difference in the game is the substitutions Kilmarnock could make.

"Over the piece, we had the better chances in the game. It's fine margins at this level and I find it hard to fault the players too much. It's just the execution in the final third that is hampering us.

"When you're in a hole, the boys' self-esteem takes a battering. If we can just get that goal, get that victory, I do believe there will be a huge turnaround in the players' fortunes.

"We've got to be a wee bit more clinical. There's still a lot of points to play for so I don't think games are running out.

"Every week, the hole you're in gets a little bit bigger, but we've got enough to try stay in the league."

On Derek Adams' Ross County resignation: "My honest thoughts - I'm gutted."

George O'Neill, BBC Sport Scotland

Kilmarnock huffed and puffed during the first half, as Danny Armstrong and Greg Stewart toiled in wide areas. They had just two shots before the break and were limited to three touches in the opposition box.

However, the superb recruitment done by the club in recent windows means they now have options to turn to when things aren't going to plan, and their bench proved the difference here.

Kennedy's incisive dribbling and Van Veen's clever link-up play got the hosts up the park far better, and chances started to come as a result. Good teams tend to find a way to win when they are below their best, and that is what Kilmarnock did here.

If McInnes and his staff can get Van Veen firing as he did for Motherwell last season, Kilmarnock could go from strength to strength.

Livingston on the other hand look like a side bereft of confidence, one destined for the Championship.

Martindale must have been encouraged and frustrated in equal measure by the way they performed in the first half. They were much improved and caused Kilmarnock plenty of problems, but ultimately it counts for little if you don't take your chances.

The only hope for Livingston in their fight for survival is that Ross County are in a similar state of disarray above them, but even then, they can only catch the Dingwall side if they start winning games.

Kilmarnock: Dennis, Mayo, Wright, Findlay, Davies, Armstrong, Watson, Donnelly, Stewart, Watkins, Vassell.

Substitutes: O'Hara, McKenzie, Kennedy, Balagizi, Murray, Cameron, Polworth, Mackay-Steven, Van Veen.

Livingston: George, Brandon, Donnellan, Nottingham, Obileye, MacKay, Pittman, Carson, Holt, Bradley, Yengi.

Substitutes: McGovern, Anderson, St Kelly, Sangare, Shinnie, Se Kelly, Ledingham, Culbert, Lawal.

Attackers Danny Armstrong, Marley Watkins and Matty Kennedy are doubts for Kilmarnock after picking up knocks at the weekend, while Corrie Ndaba serves the second of a two-game ban. Centre-back Robbie Deas is recovering from a fractured cheekbone while midfielders Brad Lyons and Kyle Magennis remain absent.

Cristian Montano and goalkeeper Jack Hamilton remain sidelined for Livingston, with Michael Devlin and Kurtis Guthrie fitness doubts.

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• Kilmarnock have won seven of their last nine top-flight home games against Livingston (L2), including both of their last two.

• Since winning five straight league meetings with Kilmarnock from December 2020 to February 2023, Livingston have failed to win each of their last three versus Killie (D1 L2).

• Kilmarnock have lost just one of their last 10 home league games (W5 D4), a 0-1 defeat to Hearts in December. Indeed, Killie have scored exactly twice in each of their last four at home in the Scottish Premiership.

• Livingston are winless in 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league matches (D5 L5) since a 2-1 win over Aberdeen in November 2022. Away from home, the Lions have lost their last four midweek league outings.

• New Kilmarnock forward Kevin van Veen has scored seven goals in six Scottish Premiership appearances against Livingston, his joint-most against a single club in the competition (also 7 v Ross County).

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David Carson says he was fully accepting of Livingston's current predicament when he signed in January from Inverness Caley Thistle.

Livi are rock bottom of the Scottish Premiership, and defeat against Rangers on Saturday left them without a win in 16 games, but Carson insists they believe they can avoid relegation.

“I know the situation we are in and there is still a lot of football to play," the midfielder said.

“I am coming in with the aim, like everyone else at this club, to keep us in the Premiership. That’s what I have come to do.

“As a player you always want to play at the highest level you can and there was an opportunity for me to do that.

“First and foremost it was that, I wanted to test myself and when I spoke to the manager it was a positive chat.

“I know the situation that we are in but we can affect that and hopefully we can start to pick up points.

“There is absolutely a lot of confidence. There are a lot of games that we can go and attack and try to pick up points.

“Saturday was difficult but we have to let that pass, it is done. We were well in the game before the first game.

“We have to move on to Wednesday night which is a big game for us.

“We can’t concentrate too much on what other people are doing, we have to go in there with a game plan and see if that gets us some points.

“We are confident. There is a good group of lads, I have seen that in training already. There is some real quality in there so why not start a good run on Wednesday?”

Stuart Barrie, Livingston fan

Is there any point delving too much into any game against either of the Old Firm? When you are up against a far superior team with resources far beyond yours then you go into these games with faint hope rather than expectation.

It’s not defeatist to expect to get beat at Ibrox, it’s just the way it inevitably goes. We had a very, very low block which meant attacking opportunities were limited. A fair bit of fun has been poked at Livi for not having a real go but what are they supposed to do when up against a Rangers front line that included a £35m striker?

I’m more hopeful (but not expectant) for something from the Kilmarnock game. It’s a tough fixture as they have a very good record on their own bit of plastic.

However, I thought there wasn’t too much between the teams when we played them at Almondvale, so there is a chance we can take something back to West Lothian. They have recruited a couple of good strikers so our fragile defence will need to cut out the basic mistakes. Our defenders haven’t turned into bad players overnight. There’s a crisis of confidence clearly going on but somehow all the players need to turn up against Killie.

If offered a point from the dullest game ever with stats that make your eyes water, I’d grab that offer with both bands now. We need the points that badly.

Livingston go to Rugby Park on Wednesday with the goal of ending their 16 game winless run.

It was a tough task last time out as a rigid defence eventually succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Rangers.

Who would you like to see in the starting line-up? Pick your team here.

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Marvin Bartley thinks his former team Livingston can still beat the drop in the Scottish Premiership, but says it will have to be through the play-offs.

Speaking on BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, the current Queen of the South boss praised the top flight's split system, which he thinks could give David Martindale's team a much-needed late surge.

Asked if Livingston can avoid relegation, Bartley said: "Yeah, they can definitely. There's more than enough points to play for.

"Looking at it now, they're probably chasing Ross County for that play-off spot. I can't see them finishing any higher than that, but things can quickly change.

"I love the split, coming up to Scotland and people saying to me, 'Oh, they have a split up there,' I didn't even understand it, but now it makes things so interesting because if you're within four points, five points to the team just above you, things can change really, really quickly.

"One thing for Livingston, that gap's getting bigger. I know Ross County have two games in hand and they're difficult games, but you know, Livingston need to find a win from somewhere.

"They need to just get over the line in the game and the confidence will come back, but I still do believe they can do it, but it will be via the play-offs."

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David Martindale is aware of the danger of Kilmarnock's “money-makers”, but wants his Livingston side to still pose an attacking threat against Derek McInnes' high-flyers.

Fourth-placed Killie brought in Greg Stewart and Kevin van Veen during the January transfer window, adding to their forward threat.

“Derek has done an incredible job and I always knew he would,” Martindale said.

“The Old Firm have lost there and we have lost there this season so I am not under any illusions as to how hard this game is going to be to try and pick something up.

“Look at Derek’s signings in the January window, he has been very shrewd. He has added at the top end of the park, that is your money makers up there.

“They are the game changers, they can make the difference in the game and it is probably an area of the park where we have really struggled this year which is part of the reason we find ourselves where we are [six points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership table].

“We will tweak it going into this game. They are up there for a reason, we are down there for a reason but we will pose more of an attacking threat than setting up against Rangers, or against Celtic, away from home.

“We will try to go there with a balance of being defensively solid and being able to pose an attacking threat but it is a difficult balance.”

We asked for your thoughts after Livingston's 3-0 defeat at Ibrox against Rangers.

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

Matt: For Livingston, getting anything versus the top two are always just bonus points. It's the rest of the season that has put us where we are - heading straight for relegation. The club have chosen to stick by Martindale and will now pay the price for it. To think a couple months ago we rejected an approach from St Johnstone for him. You have to laugh...