Livingston

Former vice-chairman Neil Hogarth has lodged a petition with the Court of Session which aims to "halt and suspend" the recent takeover at Livingston. (Daily Mail, print edition)

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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Livingston defenders Cristian Montano and Ayo Obileye have missed recent games but could feature.

Josh Sims may return from illness for Ross County but Eamonn Brophy, Ross Callachan, Jay Henderson and Ben Paton remain out.

Image source, SNS

Livingston find themselves bottom of the heap after slumping to six successive defeats, the worst run in David Martindale's time in charge and the club's poorest sequence in the top flight since their dismal 2005-06 campaign.

The West Lothian side have gone seven-and-a-half hours of action without scoring and haven't found the net from open play in nine hours. They've only managed five efforts on target across the last five matches.

So Martindale will be hoping three home fixtures provide a turning point.

Saturday's opponents, Ross County, are on the up, gathering four points from two games in Dingwall under returned manager Derek Adams.

But County's record on the road is not so hot, without a win in five trips (D3 L2), and they have lost four of their past six top-flight visits to Livingston, winning just once.

County have only scored once in four outings, so we're not expecting the floodgates to open.

Martindale would take any kind of goal to rekindle confidence, but County have yet to concede since Adams returned.

Livingston's home encounter with Ross County is "a game of big importance" to the hosts, says midfielder Jason Holt.

His side could move off the bottom of a highly-congested Scottish Premiership table on Saturday if results go their way, with Livi aware of just how tight the league is.

“Obviously we’ve not been on a great run but we’ve all been in football long enough to know a couple of results can turn our season so we’re hoping we can start that on Saturday and get ourselves into a more healthy position in the league," Holt said.

“When you look at the league table – and we don’t tend to do that too much when it’s this early in the season – you can see there’s not a lot between the teams points-wise. If we can get that victory, hopefully this Saturday, then it can catapult our season.

“Regardless of the result the other night [between Ross County and St Mirren], Saturday was always going to be a difficult game and a game of big importance for us.

“We’ve punched above our weight for the past three or four seasons, certainly since I’ve been here,” he said.

“I’ve been in this position before where we’ve gone four, five or six games with defeats and we’ve always come out the other side so I’m confident we can do that again.

“In the games we’ve lost, there’s not been a lot in them in terms of performances and chances between both sides."

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Livingston boss David Martindale admits his side are in a relegation battle "for the first time" under his leadership, but insists they have "more than enough" to beat the drop.

The West Lothian club sit bottom of the Premiership after 14 games, but have a chance to gain momentum at home to a Ross County side that have been boosted by the return of Derek Adams.

Martindale says his team are focusing on themselves rather than what's being said outside of the Tony Macaroni Arena.

"[We] try and block out the external noise, but that's the difficult part," Martindale said.

"There's always that outside scrutiny and pressure, which becomes more difficult, let's be honest, with social media.

"For those reasons, you take one day at a time. It's just about focusing on the internal noise and the next game of football.

"I think the players understand we've not really had the rub of the green, but we've not helped ourselves at the same time.

"I don't think we're a million miles away, but we definitely need to change something as a group. We just need to stick together and all push in the same direction.

"I do genuinely believe this: I think it's the first time I've been in a relegation battle in the Premiership. That's testament to the staff and players who have been at the club.

"We've been punching well above our weight and I know for a fact we have more than enough to stay in the Premiership."

"Every year the pundits go 'Livingston for relegation'. They're going to right one year. We just hope it's not this year. A dose of realism is needed slightly."

David Martindale has been meeting the media ahead of his side's crunch home fixture against Ross County on Saturday.

Here are the key points from his press conference...

• His side are trying to "block out the external noise" and focus on themselves, a task made harder by social media and doing their jobs in the public eye.

• Admits that they "haven't helped themselves" despite not always having "the rub of the green", wants his players to stick together and "push in the same direction".

• This is the first time Livingston have been in a genuine relegation battle under his leadership, which he calls "a testament" to how the club have "punched above their weight" in recent years.

• Pundits tout his team for relegation at the start of every season and "one year they'll be right", but "we hope it's not this year".

• He always expected a tough season because of "huge losses last year and huge cuts this year".

• Ross County have had "a wee bounce" since the return of Derek Adams, who he calls "a very good manager".

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• Livingston have only lost one of their six Scottish Premiership home games against Ross County (W4 D1), after a 1-0 loss in October 2022.

• Ross County have only failed to score in one of their last 10 league meetings with Livingston (W2 D4 L4), a 2-0 defeat in January last season.

• Livingston have lost each of their last six league matches, their longest losing run in the top-flight since between December 2005 and April 2006 – a run of 13 consecutive defeats.

• Ross County have failed to win any of their last five away matches in the league (D3 L2), failing to score in three of those.

• Livingston have attempted 38 shots across their last five Premiership matches with just five of those being on target, failing to score a single goal during this run.

Sportscene presenter Steven Thompson has had his say on which Premiership side is struggling the most, and it's bad news for Livingston fans.

David Martindale's side sit bottom of the league, with just ten points from their 14 games.

"The one team who I would say, at this minute in time, really need something is Livingston," Thompson said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"They've hit a really, really bad patch. They struggled at the weekend against St Mirren. The goal they conceded was an own goal, which is unlucky.

"They look devoid of confidence, they're on a dreadful run. The one thing that will keep them a wee bit buoyant is that when they look above them, Aberdeen are only three points above them.

"It's still very much open, and a very difficult league to call. You would expect that the bigger clubs with the bigger budgets and squads, will start to climb.

"The league table is fascinating in many ways, there's so little in it. There's been a lack of consistency from pretty much everyone in the league. Overall the season is proving to be very difficult to predict."

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Livingston host Ross County on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership, wanting to end their recent poor run of form and climb off the bottom of the table.

Put yourself in David Martindale’s shoes and pick your starting XI for the game here.

Stuart Barrie, Livingston fan

Most Livingston fans went into the game against St Mirren with the pessimistic view that we wouldn’t get anything. We’ve been poor in Paisley for as long as I remember and true to form we came away with nothing.

To be fair, I don’t think there was too much between the team in third and us at the bottom. It was a very tight game with few chances for both sides, but they took theirs and we didn’t, which is a bit like a broken record for us at the moment - we’ve now gone 584 minutes without scoring. We did hit the bar but otherwise didn’t really create anything of note. Bruce Anderson and Curtis Guthrie worked their socks off but were starved of service.

Lots of fans are worrying about how we can stay in the league. I’ve always maintained we’ll come good to avoid the drop, and I still think that will be the case. We have three homes games coming up, against Ross County, Hibs, and Kilmarnock, and our home form will play a major role in how our season turns out.

If we turn up and do the things we used to be famous for, things like closing down, tackling, harrying, non-stop running and creating chances, then we’ll be alright.

The club's fortunes on the pitch may be stuttering but off the pitch we are making huge wins. There’s another community ticket giveaway coming up with 2,000 tickets being given to local schools and clubs for our Premiership clash with Kilmarnock on 16 December. The club also hosted a kids Christmas party recently, with many of the players bringing their families along allowing so many kids to make memories.

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Stephen Couse, BBC Sport Scotland

Six defeats in a row. Five games without a goal. Bottom of the table.

It's been a tough month for Livingston.

Many of those games, including a tough matchup against third-placed St Mirren at the weekend, have been close-run affairs. Three of the last four losses have been by a single goal.

But perhaps the worrying aspect of the run is how little a threat Livi have been in front of goal.

It has been 584 minutes since they last scored - five whole games without finding the back of the net.

And in those five games they have registered a total of five shots on target.

Three consecutive home games coming up, against Ross County, Hibernian and Kilmarnock, is a good chance for the Lions to get the monkey off their back.

Livingston have been drawn against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

The tie will take place at the Tony Macaroni Arena on the weekend of January 20/21.

• St Mirren have scored in 11 of their 13 Scottish Premiership games,. Only Celtic have scored in more matches this season

• Livingston have failed to score in their last five games in the Premiership, their longest run without scoring in the league since at least the 2013/14 season

• Livi have also gone 584 minutes without a goal

• The defeat to St Mirren is Livingston's sixth defeat in a row - their longest losing streak in the competition

Image source, .

Were you in Paisley on Saturday or following the match from home? Either way, want your views on the game – have your say here.

Livingston manager David Martindale: "I am not going to say St Mirren didn't deserve the three points because at the end of the day they put the ball in the net and we didn't but it is fine margins.

"We hit the bar in the first half, so did they. Are we unlucky not to take something from the game? I am not going to use luck as an excuse.

"I thought the defensive shape for the first half was a wee bit open. I do not think we transitioned well as a back three. We have got to do a wee bit better on and off the ball but there was not anything major.

"We need to start finding a way to win games of football. Ultimately it falls to me and I am well aware of that.

"I thought we let ourselves down in doing the fundamentals of the game in the first half. In the second half we didn't cause enough problems in their box.

"This is not an abnormal situation I find myself in. We have been through it every season in the league we are just hitting it at the start of the season which feels a bit worse.

"St Mirren are third in the league, are fight is not going to be with them this season. We have a huge game next week.

"This year I think we are in a genuine relegation battle. From matchday five onwards it has been a wee bit chaotic and as a group we are not doing the basics well enough and that is what I am going to have to get right."

Martin Dowden, BBC Sport Scotland at SMiSA Stadium

Livingston badly need something to go in their favour. Six defeats on the trot has been extremely damaging and while they remain in touch with teams above, they can ill-afford that run being extended.

They struggled to make much impact in the final third throughout, save for Nottingham’s header from a set piece.

Scoring goals has been a real struggle. It may come but it was difficult to see where from on this evidence given their overall lack of threat where it counts.

David Martindale makes three changes to his side that lost 2-0 to Rangers.

Cristian Montano, Luiyi de Lucas and Mohammed Sangare drop out of the team to face St Mirren. Jason Holt, Michael Nottingham and Kurtis Guthrie start.

Livingston: George, Devlin, Nottingham, Penrice, Kelly, Pittman, Holt, Shinnie, Guthrie, Nouble, Anderson

Substitutes: Hamilton, Parkes, Kelly, Brandon, Welch-Hayes, BRadley, Sangare, de Lucas, Lloyd

• Follow the action live

St Mirren wing-back Ryan Strain could be out for weeks with a groin strain picked up on international duty with Australia, but fit-again striker Jonah Ayunga returns to the squad after being out since January.

Midfielder Keanu Baccus is suspended.

Livingston defender Michael Nottingham returns to the squad after enjoying two productive training weeks following a long-term run of injury troubles.

Ayo Obileye is fit again but Cristian Montano is doubtful with a hamstring issue.

Image source, SNS