Livingston

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David Martindale revealed Livingston missed out on a centre-back target on Wednesday morning, as he looked to resolve the club's defensive issues.

Livi have the worst defensive record in the Scottish Premiership, having conceded 38 goals in 23 games, and are currently bottom of the league, six points behind Ross County, who have played two games fewer.

Martindale was pleased with the way his side fought back to draw 2-2 with County on Tuesday, but was frustrated by the manner of the goals they conceded.

“The boys showed huge character to come back twice but again the manner of the goals we are losing are schoolboy," he said.

“We are putting a lot of time and effort into it but we are not getting solutions. We need to get our fingers out.

“I missed out on another centre-back this morning, who will sign for someone else in Scotland, whether he is going to the Championship or the Premiership, I don’t know.

“We are still looking. It is difficult. We are sitting with three players who can play that position – in Cristian Montano, Sean Kelly and Mick Devlin – out injured so we are going to have to come up with some solution, whether that be change of shape or change of personnel, there is going to have to be something.

“You are putting out fires constantly because of the defensive errors, constantly chopping and changing which doesn’t help either.

“There may be an extra addition today.

“It is not my place to announce it but hopefully we have one more body added into the group.

“Sean Kelly will train today, it is a wee bit early for Mick. Cristiano Montano is still three of four weeks away roughly. Big Kurtis (Guthrie) hurt his neck last night so everything that can go wrong at this point in time is going wrong.”

Stuart Barrie, Livingston fan

We got a point from our massive game against relegation rivals Ross County, but it really felt like a defeat.

I can’t remember feeling as deflated as I did at when County scored in the 85th minute. It was a brutal end to a game we dominated for large periods.

As a spectacle, it was quite end-to-end with both teams going for it and playing some good stuff. Despite going a goal down, I was confident we were good enough to win that game and when we took the lead, I thought we were going to see that rarest of rare things - an actual win.

It was rare enough to see two goals, and we could have had a few more too. Bruce Anderson, normally deadly in the box, missed what looked like a tap-in, and there was another gilt-edged chance for Steven Bradley too.

I must single out Andrew Shinnie, not only for his performance last night, but for his application and form for the last few months. Along with James Penrice and Jason Holt, he’s really stepped up and taken a leadership role in our battle against the drop.

We needed to take six points from our last two home games. We had a fighting chance if we could have kept in touch with County until the split.

That chance is ebbing away now. It’s not impossible but we have to face the fact it’s likely the Championship for us. I just hope we keep playing like this and go down fighting.

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Dan Mackay concedes that Livingston are battling against the clock after they remained six points adrift at the foot of the table.

The winger scored the home side's second equaliser in Tuesday's draw with fellow relegation strugglers Ross County, but the Premiership's bottom club failed to cut the gap to Derek Adams' men.

"It's obviously disappointing," MacKay told club media, external. "We keep putting ourselves in big setbacks in games and having to react.

"We end up playing better when we go behind at the moment and that need to change. We need to score the first goals in games and start dictating it from there and controlling the game, which we haven't done.

"We showed great character to get back in the game but one point isn't enough against your closest rivals at the moment, we needed three. It's a positive but there's still a lot to work on and improve.

"I knew if I came on today, I had to make an impact and I was glad to do that, but unfortunately we never picked up the three points which was much-needed for the team.

"We just need to start winning games, it's plain and simple. We've done a lot of talk, we need to start showing actions now. We really need to pull together and make a difference now.

"We're running out of games. We keep saying 'we've got games'. Sooner or later, you run out of games and we need to be a collective as a group and hopefully we can come out the other side of it.2

Both Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian - and an English Championship club - are monitoring 25-year-old Livingston left-back James Penrice, who is in the final six months of his present deal and is available for nothing in the summer. (Sky Sports)

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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• Livingston have failed to win in their last 15 games in the Scottish Premiership, their longest winless streak in the competition (since it rebranded in 2013/2014).

• Simon Murray has scored six goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Ross County player in the Scottish Premiership.

• Livingston have scored in their last four games in the Scottish Premiership, their longest scoring streak this season.

• Yan Dhanda has assisted three goals this season (one in this game), more than any other Ross County player in the Scottish Premiership.

• Livingston have conceded 12 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, only Aberdeen (15) have conceded more in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Ross County have conceded eight goals to opposition substitutes in the Scottish Premiership this season, only Dundee and Aberdeen (both nine) have conceded more.

• Livingston have conceded 14 first-half goals in 23 games, only Motherwell (16) have conceded more in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Ross County have avoided defeat in their last 12 matches when scoring the opening goal in the Scottish Premiership dating back to 17 December 2022 against St. Johnstone (L1-2).

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Were you at Almondvale on Tuesday or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.

Livingston manager David Martindale: "It was too open for my liking, to be honest. I need to watch what I'm saying, I don't want to tell other managers what's going on.

"The plan wasn't to be open, but I can understand it. It took them scoring for the boys to settle down. There was tension, frustration, and anxiety there. We played good football, got a goal back.

"The second half, we were in the ascendancy. We had plenty opportunities to go on and win, and the boys have to take huge credit to come back from a losing position twice.

"Defensively, I don't know how I fix it. I've got three centre-backs all sitting injured."

Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

Given their respective poor runs and what was at stake, it was a credit to both teams that they attacked the game and produced an entertaining match.

After hinting his time may be up following Saturday's defeat at Dundee, David Martindale then said he would "come out swinging" and keep fighting to keep Livingston in the league, his biggest challenge yet in his nearly four years in charge.

Twice coming from behind and the intensity of this performance suggest his players are with him on that, and they created enough opportunities to win this.

The problem is they still look short in both boxes. Simon Murray's second goal came as a result of defenders completely missing a cross and leaving the striker unmarked at the back post.

And up the other end they were profligate. Whether the manager can come up some signings before Thursday's transfer deadline remains to be seen, given his repeated comments about having little budget to work with, while also struggling to attract players to a struggling side.

After a potential move to Exeter City failed to materialise, forward Joel Nouble is back in the starting XI for Livi against Ross County.

Scott Pittman and Kurtis Guthrie are also fit again and start. Jamie Brandon is the other change from the defeat by Dundee.

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Livingston supporters are "right" to have doubts over David Martindale given their alarming run of form, says Euan Rankie of the Talk Livi Podcast.

The Lions fan expressed concern over the messaging sent by the Almondvale boss' comments in recent interviews, despite declaring his support for the manager.

"Any manager in football would be struggling to keep a hold of their job at this point in time," Rankie told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I think the fans are right to question whether he is the right person for the gig at this moment in time.

"I'm still fully behind the manager. Whether he can turn it around this season or no - I doubt [that] given the fact that he's talked about how we've not got the budget to bring in players, we're shopping in Primark, that comment and then he's come out the other day and talked about [the fact] he's got money to bring in players but nobody wants to come.

"It just doesn't set a very good, positive attitude going into the remainder of the season in the position that we're in. We're six points adrift depending on the result tonight, could be nine.

"So yes, I would say still in the job regardless of what happens this season but I can absolutely understand why any fan would be questioning it because as I say, winning less than 14% of your games over a 12-month period just doesn't set a very positive attitude going into the remainder of the season."

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Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport Scotland

Andrew Shinnie admits Livingston have "aired a few things out" as they search for a way to end their form of 13 winless league games.

The latest game on that run saw the West Lothian side fall to a 4-1 loss against Dundee at home - a defeat which left the dressing room feeling extremely low.

"It was a tough changing room," Shinnie said. "We weren’t trying to spread any positivity, it was just a real down changing room. We had a meeting on Sunday morning and aired a few things out and realised we have to move on because there's another game on Tuesday and it's a massive one.

"We said come in Monday morning clear-headed, all focus on Ross County game and try and pick up the three points."

David Martindale has been honest in his appraisal of the squad, admitting some players have been told to find new clubs if they aren't up for the fight.

"I’ve seen it loads of times. I've been part of that in my career as well. It can be tough for a manager and for players. It's difficult just to remove them out of the club and they're human beings as well. You don't want to be nasty to them and treat them badly.

"We have good lads. Most of the lads are good lads. Obviously, some have moved on and it's probably opened up a bit of money for the manager.

"Whether he can put that to good use before the window shuts, we'll see. Hopefully, he can bring in a few bodies and just bring a bit of freshness to the squad."

Stuart Barrie, Livingston fan

"We’re in the Championship at this rate".

The words of manager David Martindale after our latest humbling, this time at the hands of Premiership newcomers Dundee.

The majority of Livi fans have been thinking the same for weeks now. There was a subdued acceptance of our fate as we all trudged away after the 4-1 defeat to the Dens Park side.

Previously there had been a fair bit of vitriol from the stands after defeats, but things were pretty quiet as we slopped out of the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Davie’s press conferences leading up to the game talked about changes and resetting, so there was a freshness to the team selection. Initially, it paid off.

We played some of the best football I’ve seen from us in weeks. There was a couple of good early chances that, had we converted, a different result would have been a distinct possibility.

We’ll skip over missing ANOTHER penalty, as our conversion rate is getting beyond belief. Daft individual errors (again) cost us dearly. I think the worst one was scoring and then literally seconds after that goal, letting Dundee score again in an entirely preventable manner. Crazy.

There was plenty of effort from the players, they may be low on confidence but there was a determination there I liked. It just couldn’t be converted into anything meaningful in terms of goals. We’ll need all that determination and more to save our season.

We play fellow strugglers Ross County this week. It’s a must win, anything else and we’ll have more than one foot in the championship. We’ll be all but down.

Hearts are targeting Livingston's James Penrice and Charlton's Scott Fraser as well as Dhanda in a triple swoop in the last 24 hours of the transfer window. (Scottish Sun)

Livingston defender Penrice has held talks with Hearts about a summer move to Tynecastle when his contract expires. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

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Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport Scotland

Joel Nouble remains a Livingston player for the time being as manager David Martindale said Exeter City "wasted his time" in their pursuit of the striker.

Nouble was left out for the visit of Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup two weekends ago as a move to the English League One side seemed imminent.

However, he came off the bench in the loss to Dundee on Saturday, and now Martindale expects him to play a part in the second half of the season.

"I'm going to knock that one in the head," the Livingston boss said. "I think my time's been wasted, if I'm honest. Joel's time's been wasted.

"We weren’t a million miles away. It was minimal at best, and there's not even been another conversation. It’s a waste of time. Big Noobs on Saturday, I think you can see he's up for the fight. I thought he looked back to his old self."

Nouble is yet to score in the league this season and Martindale said leaving the 28-year-old out was for his own good.

"At no point has Joel gone on that park, not to try. But if you're getting told there's a chance you're getting a move and you pick up an injury and it might not happen, it's going to play a certain part in your psyche going into that game.

"Players will always tell you it doesn't, and I do believe they genuinely believe that, but I don't believe that. I think it's difficult for players, when there's a lot of noise around them, to actually apply themselves properly.

"At this point in time, Joel Nouble’s a Livingston player. I'm delighted he's a Livingston player and I thought he did very well when he went on, on Saturday."

Michael Devlin, Kurtis Guthrie and Scott Pittman trained on Monday after missing Livingston's last game and could feature on Tuesday. Joel Nouble remains a Livi player after a proposed move to Exeter City did not materialise. Jack Hamilton and Cristian Montano remain sidelined.

Ross County captain Jack Baldwin is free from suspension but has been carrying a knock. Scott Allardice, Ross Callachan, Ryan Leak and Dylan Smith miss out injured.

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• Livingston have only lost one of their six top-flight home games against Ross County (W4 D1), going down 0-1 in October 2022.

• Livingston and Ross County share an even record over their last seven league meetings, both winning twice each, drawing the other three, and scoring seven goals each in those seven games.

• Livingston are without a win in their last nine midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (D4 L5) since a 2-1 win over Aberdeen in November 2022.

• Ross County have never lost an away top-flight league match on a Tuesday in seven previous such outings (W3 D4), keeping five clean sheets in these fixtures.

• Ross County’s Simon Murray has scored in two of his three Scottish Premiership appearances against Livingston, including one at the Tony Macaroni Arena in March last season.

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Could David Martindale have been using some mind games with the aim of deflecting the pressure off his players?

It's a possibility according to former Livingston striker Lee Miller, who told the Scottish Football Podcast that the manager's post-match comments at the weekend "didn't look great".

Miller said: "I've got a lot of time and respect for Davie and he's done a fantastic job there.

"The interview the other day didn't look great. But knowing Davie and knowing he's a very, very clever man, he's maybe thrown that out there to try and relieve the pressure from his players.

"If he's saying, 'listen, that's us done, we're down', going out and playing with freedom - sometimes that can work in your favour. Maybe he's trying to play a wee bit of reverse psychology.

"I don't know, but it did look a bit defeatist in his interview but, we'll see what happens.

"He's finding it difficult to recruit players by the sounds of it. Who wants to get involved in a relegation battle? It's a tough gig to try and recruit players to come and battle and fight for your corner."

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Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport Scotland

David Martindale cut a resolute figure as he declared his commitment to Livingston and their fight for Premiership survival.

The manager had sounded dejected after their weekend defeat to Dundee, admitting he faced a "conundrum" over his future with the club six points adrift at the foot of the table.

But the Livi boss now insists he will remain in position unless the club ask him to step aside.

"As soon as I got back in my car, I was ready to go again," Martindale said. "I'm going to come out swinging. We're going to keep fighting up until matchday 38.

"That's what I'm all about. I'm not about jumping ship. I'd feel like a bit of a coward if I was to up sticks and leave. I speak about the collective and we're all in it together - what would that say about my character and my personality if I was just to up sticks and leave?"

"To caveat that, if I thought that would keep us in the Premiership, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But do I genuinely think it's going to have [that impact]? No, I don't."

Martindale also spoke of the huge toll that the current form - 13 league matches without a win - has had on the club.

"The players and the staff are at this club are going through a huge period of adversity. It's amazing what it does to the group, that continued accumulation of negativity. It's got a huge effect on you personally.

"But it's my job to come in, motivate, keep the positivity, keep the energy. I'll come in and I'll make sure we go on that part tomorrow night and we're going out to get three points and we're going out there to fight.

"Win, lose or draw, I'm going to come back into my work on Wednesday morning, and I'm going to do it again."