Livingston

Stuart Barrie, Livingston fan

Really pleased to get a very decent point at County, even if we weren’t so decent in the game.

That’s a few times we’ve not been at our best and come away with something from Dingwall. Long may it continue.

Davie Martindale’s tactical genius entered a new phase by having the bus break down and the game delayed. I can see Pep letting down tyres on the City bus now and Jurgen hiding the spark plugs as this new methodology takes hold. We didn’t even get to drive it never mind park the bus in this game!

The boss said the ball had to be taken away for emergency treatment after the match as it had been blootered all day long.

I'm not sure we would have scraped anything from a game like this last season. Some call it the ugly side but effort, endeavour and efficiency with the ball is a massive part of the game. Get that right and you’ve got a chance.

Image source, BBC Sport

We asked for your views on Livingston's draw with Ross County

Ian: Very poor performance! We stole a point! No good shape! We only saw Ross County in the quarter of the pitch in front of us! We had a defensive shape most of the game and no-one running into open spaces up front!

Livingston manager David Martindale: "I think that'll be lucky if it gets 60 seconds on Sportscene.

"We stole a point potentially. I think on the balance of play, Ross County had more of the chances.

"My assessment is it's a point on the road. It was two sets of players fighting for everything.

"I felt they pressed us a lot better. Our entries into their half were really uncontrolled. I'll put in the caveat that Shamal [George] had very little to do. Our back three were tremendous.

"I have a tremendous relationship with Brucey [Anderson]. I'm not just his manager, I'm his friend. If you get balls in the box, he's one of the best finishers in the Premiership. He's so instinctive.

"We struggled to get any real penetration on Ross County. We kept the three forward players on the park and got our just rewards."

After the game was delayed due to Livingston's bus breaking down, Martindale was asked how his side would be travelling home.

He said: "I've not thought about it. The company that deal with Ross County sent a bus out to us really quickly and I think one of theirs is taking us home."

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Image source, BBC Sport

Did you make the trip to Dingwall for the draw up north?

We want to hear your thoughts as Livingston made it four unbeaten in the Premiership.

Give us a shout.

Sean McGill, BBC Sport Scotland

The last time Livingston were on the road, they ended a miserable run of failing to score on the road with an impressive dismantling of Hibernian at Easter Road.

They followed that big win up that a poor display against St Mirren, where neither side posed any real threat in a drab draw.

Here, it appeared as though they had made a rudderless return to life away from the Tony Macaroni Arena, as their forward players were locked out the game for large spells.

As they often do, though, they showed their fighting spirit. Just the five touches in the opposition box may make for concerning reading, but when two of those were Anderson setting himself up for an equaliser, David Martindale will head home relatively pleased.

The manager will be asking for more of that battering-ram style attack they showed in Edinburgh the next time they head on their travels again.

Image source, Opta

If it hadn't been for Luiyi de Lucas, Livingston may have had an insurmountable mountain to climb before half-time.

His block kept out Jordan White's volley moments before the defender headed a looping ball off the line to keep the game goalless at the time.

Image source, SNS

After a draw with joint-top St Mirren before the international break, David Martindale makes two changes up the top end of the park for his travelling Livingston team.

Out go Scott Pittman and Kurtis Guthrie, with Stephen Kelly and Bruce Anderson the players tasked with providing some cutting edge in attack, alongside the formidable Joel Nouble.

• Follow our live coverage

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Image source, Opta

Ross County: Laidlaw, Brown, Baldwin, Nightingale, Leak, Reid, Randall, Turner, Dhanda, Murray, White

Substitutes: Munro, Purrington, Sims, Loturi, Harmon, Henderson, High, Samuel, Brophy

Livingston: George, Devlin, Obileye, de Lucas, Brandon, Shinnie, Holt, Penrice, Kelly, Nouble, Anderson

Substitutes: Hamilton, Parkes, Pittman, MacKay, Bradley, Sangare, Lloyd, Guthrie, Lawal

Image source, opta

Ross County have Scott Allardice and Max Sheaf closing in on fitness but they will not return this week. Scott High is a doubt while midfielders Ross Callachan and Ben Paton remain out with long-term knee injuries.

Livingston have Sean Kelly available again, with full-back Cristian Montano (calf) the only absentee for the Lions.

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The weekend starts here. Premiership action is back on Saturday and we have all six games covered in our preview podcast.

Don't miss out - give it a listen.

Bruce Anderson insists he isn't satisfied as a “super sub”, with the 24-year-old Livingston forward setting his sights on a regular starting role.

Anderson's only appearances in the league this season have come off the bench - including a scoring cameo in the 3-2 win at Hibs - but he says he has to use those minutes to impress and force his way back into David Martindale's starting line-up.

“I don't want to get that name tag of super sub,” Anderson said. “I want to play as many games as I can and I'm just going to keep working hard to try and get back into the team.

“It's just all about trying to get in and help the boys when I do come on, I'm working hard to get into the starting XI.

“I want to start every game and I love scoring goals, so for me it's just about getting my head down and trying to get my way into the starting line-up.

“If I'm on the bench it's just about coming on and trying to make a big impact.

“I need to keep scoring goals. It's difficult because the boys are playing well now so it's just about biding my time and keep working hard and doing extras and every time I do get the opportunity to go on, it’s about trying to take it.”

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Ross County manager Malky Mackay faces welcome selection headaches against Livingston with a near full strength squad. (Press and Journal - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip

• After their 2-0 win in May last season, Ross County could secure successive victories over Livingston in the top flight for the first time.

• Livingston have kept just a single clean sheet in their last nine league meetings with Ross County, doing so in a 2-0 win in January 2023.

• Ross County have won two of their last three league games (L1), and are looking to earn successive league wins for only a third time since the start of last season, having previously done so in November 2022 and May 2023.

• Livingston’s 3-2 win at Hibs in their last away league game ended a run of nine straight Scottish Premiership away defeats without scoring. However, David Martindale’s side have conceded at least twice in each of their last eight league games on the road (20 in total, 2.5 per game), keeping just one clean sheet in their last 20 away league outings (2-0 v Ross County in January 2023).

• No player has created more chances from set-plays in this season’s Premiership than Ross County’s Yan Dhanda (6), with both of his assists in the league coming from set-pieces (1 corner, 1 free-kick). Meanwhile, no side has conceded more set-piece goals in the competition this term (excl. penalties) than Livingston (3).

Livingston return from the international break by heading to Dingwall to face Ross County on Saturday.

Can David Martindale’s side get back to winning ways after shipping an injury-time equaliser to St Mirren last time out?

Make yourself the manager and choose your starting XI here.

David Martindale says Ross County’s spending power is in stark contrast to Livingston’s finances as the sides prepare to go head to head on Saturday.

While Martindale had to “lose £200,000 off the budget” at Livi this year, County brought in 10 players during the summer window and paid transfer fees for St Mirren pair Eamonn Brophy and Jay Henderson and Coventry City’s Josh Reid.

“[County chairman] Roy [MacGregor] has invested a lot of money in the club,” said Martindale.

“I think they’ve spent a few quid in the transfer market this summer on the two boys from St Mirren and the boy from Coventry. So Roy has invested in that squad and I don’t think we’re playing the same Ross County team as we played last year.

“Malky [Mackay] is an extremely good manager. He’s coached at the highest level and done a very good job in Dingwall.

“It shows you how competitive the league is that County finished sixth the season before last and then 11th this year and stayed up via the play-offs.”

Having conceded a 96th-minute equaliser to St Mirren last time out, Livi are seventh in the Premiership after four games with a five-point haul Martindale insists should be higher.

“I’m still gutted about the previous Saturday,” he added. “We’ve only got ourselves to blame but we’re sitting here on five points when it should be seven.”

Image source, sns

Brian McLauchlin, BBC Sport Scotland

David Martindale has been speaking to the media before Livingston's Saturday visit to Ross County.

Here are the key lines from the manager's news conference:

• Martindale confirmed there is potential investment interest from US-based parties.

• However, "court actions" may affect new revenue stream with disputes over who owns shares ongoing.

• The manager described the summer transfer window as "the hardest year in terms of recruitment" and revealed the club "closed a £400,000 gap".

• On Ross County, Martindale describes opposite number Malky Mackay as "an extremely good manager" who has "coached and managed at the highest level".

• He also noted County's investment and recruitment and said: "I don't think we're playing the same Ross County team as we played last year."

• The manager expects "a really tight league" and does not believe any team will become "ostracised" at the bottom.

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Image source, bbc

Stuart Barrie, Livingston supporter

Rumours are circulating in the press about American investment coming into Livingston. The club have been vocal about the need for a cash injection so I guess it’s required.

I’m hesitant to welcome in new investors though. We’ve been here before and we’re not exactly a cash cow for hedge-fund managers. We’re quite the opposite and have been a black hole for cash for many previously.

The delay to this proposed investment is down to a couple of court cases waiting to be resolved, again we’ve been here before. Livi have a chequered past with investors. Some have worked well, lots haven’t, and we’ve had owners that didn’t have the best interests of the club at heart.

On one hand maybe these new investors see something in us that they can get on board with. I just hope we’re not seen as an investment that needs to bring in the bucks straight away. Maybe we’ll get our own film stars that will take Livi to the next level like Wrexham. That’s probably a little too Hollywood for us.

Perhaps I’m too sceptical about this whole thing but I am not sure how this movie ends.

There’s a couple of blockbuster games ahead for different reasons. If we can come away with points from Dingwall that would be terrific and if we can come away from Ibrox with some big bags of cash that would be more terrific!

Five points from four games against sides that all finished in the top-six last season can be filed under solid season starts for Livingston.

David Martindale knows his side are rarely going to blitz teams away, instead it is their grit and determination at the back that impresses all onlookers. The start to this season has been no different.

Jamie Brandon and Luiyi de Lucas have both made a league high of 18 tackles, while the latter tops the table in interceptions, too, with 13.

Only St Johnstone has a lower average possession than Livi's 39.6%, while Martindale's side have had the second-fewest shots on target, too. Only Aberdeen's seven tops their 10.

With an xG of four, and a goals tally of four, it does mean when his side should be scoring, they're scoring.

The Livi boss knows what he's getting from his experienced side, who are also the oldest, with his starting XI averaged age 28 years and 257 days.

Image source, SNS