Livingston

Jonathan Sutherland, Sportscene presenter

Livingston’s James Penrice is always reliable down the left side but did a solid job filling in at right-back in the 0-0 draw against St Johnstone.

David Martindale expressed disappointment that some Livingston supporters turned on striker Joel Nouble during the goalless draw against St Johnstone.

Nouble has not got on the scoresheet since August and was deployed at wing-back against the Saints, before being taken off in the 80th minute to sarastic cheers from the home support.

“It’s a part of the game I don’t like,” Martindale said. “As a club we’re slightly different, we’ve not got a huge amount of fans and we’re big on the community and family aspect, so when it happens here it feels a bit more personal.

“There’s no doubt Joel’s form needs to improve, but I think in being a supporter, I would rather support the player than boo the player. That’s just my opinion.

“I’m not trying to tell the fans what to do. If that’s the way they feel and the way they want to express their emotions, so be it.

“I just know if I was a fan I’d want to try and help the player. But it’s modern-day society.”

Livingston are four points adrift at the bottom of the table after 11 games without a win, and Martindale insists nobody should carry the responsbility alone for that run.

“It’s not the first time and it probably won’t be the last,” he said of the Nouble criticism. “It happened a good bit last year with Nicky Devlin when he signed his pre-contract (with Aberdeen).

“It’s disappointing. I understand the frustrations but booing him is not going to make the situation any better. There’s no way Joel goes on the park not wanting to have a good game.

“There’s no doubt that his form is a bit off where it was last year but for me he’s still doing enough and contributing to the group. Everyone expects the Joel Nouble of last season to turn up but it doesn’t always happen.

“I could probably go through every one of our (individual) performances, including myself, and every one of our performances is below the standard of last year.

“We’re bottom of the league for a reason. It doesn’t fall on one isolated player. I think it’s a minority that are booing but unfortunately in modern society the minority are the ones that are the loudest.”

Image source, SNS

We asked for your views on Livingston’s 0-0 draw against St Johnstone.

Terry: David Martindale is certainly on thin ice given his record this season as the manager of a club with a board constantly in turmoil. They need to take responsibility and understand the decision to buy a striker for the new season. It shows the amateur nature of what is a huge, huge failure.

• Livingston have failed to win in their last 11 games in the Scottish Premiership, their last joint longest winless streak was from March to September 2021.

• Livingston have failed to score in 12 of their 19 games, more often than any other team in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Livingston attempted 14 shots in this match, much higher than their season average of 8.6 in the Scottish Premiership.

Image source, BBC Sport

An encouraging second half ends in a familiar story for Livingston - no goals scored, another match without victory.

A monumental tussle with Motherwell looms for bottom club Livingston, whose winless run now stands at 11 games.

Can David Martindale's men turn their season around?

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Livingston manager David Martindale told BBC Radio Scotland: "We had 14, shots, three on target, and we are not converting any of them. The conversion rate needs to get a lot better. That's the story of the game.

"You progress through times of adversity, the individuals, the club, we've all got to dig in and work through this difficult period.

"You can't let fear take over your decision-making on the park and that's probably what we're finding slightly.

"You are one game, one goal, one win away from everything changing."

Toothless attack has been the story of Livingston and St Johnstone's season, with neither scoring a first-half goal in 17 of their games this season.

Livingston have scored only twice on their barren 11-game streak and 10 in total this season, their issues summed up by Mikey Devlin's last-ditch miss.

David Martindale fielded virtually all of his most potent attacking players, but none were able to cleave St Johnstone open.

David Martindale names a very attacking Livingston line-up as he searches for a first win in 11 matches.

The manager switches up his goalkeeper, with Shamal George preferred to Jack Hamilton. Captain Mikey Devlin returns from suspension, with fellow defender Michael Nottingham and forward Kurtis Guthrie also brought in following the loss at Celtic Park.

The injured Tom Parkes is sidelined, while Hamilton, Jamie Brandon and Luiyi de Lucas drop to the bench.

Guthrie is joined by Joel Nouble, Bruce Anderson and Andy Shinnie in the attacking areas as Martindale seeks some much-needed incision.

Image source, SNS

Livingston: George, Nottingham, Devlin (c), Obileye, Penrice, Pittman, Holt, Shinnie, Nouble, Anderson, Guthrie.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Montano, Kelly, Brandon, Bradley, Sangare, De Lucas, Lawal, Ledingham.

St Johnstone: Mitov, Brown, Olufunwa, Gordon (c), Gallacher, Robinson, Phillips, Smith, Kucheriayvi, May, Clark.

Substitutes: Richards, Considine, Kane, Carey, Jephcott, Sprangler, Turner-Cook, Costelloe.

Livingston's Tom Parkes is a major doubt after going off with a head injury at Celtic Park on Saturday, but fellow centre-back Michael Devlin returns from suspension.

St Johnstone winger Diallang Jaiyesimi serves the second game of a two-match suspension.

Defenders Callum Booth and Sam McClelland are back training, while midfielder Ali Crawford is improving, but Drey Wright remains a long-term absentee.

Image source, SNS

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• Livingston won both of their two home games against St Johnstone last season without conceding (1-0 in October, 2-0 in April).

• St Johnstone have kept just one clean sheet in 10 previous top-flight visits to Livingston, doing so in October 2018 via a 1-0 win.

• Livingston have picked up fewer points at home in the Scottish Premiership this season than any other side (six), winning just one of eight such matches (D3 L4).

• St Johnstone haven’t won their final league game of any of the last four calendar years (D2 L2) since a 2-0 win at Dundee in 2018. They have lost their final game in both of the last two calendar years.

• St Johnstone boss Craig Levein’s last top-flight win over Livingston came in February 2004 with Hearts (3-2); he is since winless in six such meetings, although five were drawn (L1).

Livingston will be aiming to end their run of 10 league games without a win as they welcome St Johnstone to the Tony Macaroni Arena.

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Image source, SNS

Livingston captain Michael Devlin stressed the importance of his side not becoming detached at the bottom of the Premiership table, ahead of their match against St Johnstone.

The West Lothian side are five points adrift, but have a game in hand over eleventh-placed Motherwell.

“We need to pick up that three points as quickly as possible and hopefully that can catapult us into a bit of momentum,” Devlin said.

“Fortunately there are games coming thick and fast so if we can do that, we have a chance to get back into the pack. That needs to be the motivation for us and has to be the reason we keep that optimism.

“We’re five points adrift just now and the teams two or three places above us, there’s very little in it. Going into the January break, the one target is that we don’t want to be detached.

“We want to be close to that group, then we can use the break well, reset, and be ready to go when we come back. Without looking too far ahead we have to make sure that we’re not isolated.”

Livingston haven't won a game since 7 October - when they beat Motherwell 2-0 - going 10 games without a victory and scoring just twice within that time.

“Strangely enough, and it seems stupid to say it, but I feel like the win is coming,” Devlin added.

“The performance level has been better in the last few games. I think there’s a lot right about what we’re doing, we’re giving ourselves opportunities.

“Four or five weeks ago, it felt worse because we weren’t giving ourselves a chance in games and you’re thinking ‘I’m not sure where the goal or victory is going to come from here’ but now I feel we’re getting closer to the outcome we want.”

• Livingston attempted zero shots in this game, the lowest total for any team in a single match in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Livingston have failed to score in 11 of their 18 games, more often than any other team in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Livingston have failed to win in their last 10 games in the Scottish Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 20th March 2021 to 11th September 2021, a run of 11 games.

Image source, BBC Sport

Livingston's winless run in the league now stands at 10, but does a gutsy defensive display away to the champions do much to lift the gloom?

Can David Martindale build on this in the scrap to avoid relegation?

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Livingston manager David Martindale: "We rode our luck a bit in the first 15 minutes, then we were managing the game pretty well.

"Second half, the first goal, from a group point of view, is a shocker. We let Palma inside and Luiyi (de Lucas) has to do a lot better, he's got the contact on Kyogo. For the second, Knotts (Michael Nottingham) has got to go and get contact. It's his man. At that point, it's game over.

"It's not rocket science to understand we need a wee bit of help. We need two or three bodies in, but they have got to be boys that can and play for us now, not boys we're trying to develop."

On Tom Parkes, who took a knock to the head late in the first half... "He's okay. We made a call to take him off. The player's wellbeing is more important than me trying to get a clean sheet.

"It was a ferocious effort from Carter-Vickers, probably the last man on the park you want to get a shot in the face from.

"I knew it was going to be a problem and that was the area we lost the first goal from. I'm pretty sure if Parkes stays on the park that space is not there."