'We've got enough to stay in this league': David Martindale believes in Livingston players

Livingston manager David Martindale has made a defiant statement to anyone who says his team are as good as relegated, saying he believes they can still beat the drop.

Saturday’s basement clash in Dingwall saw Livingston lose 3-2 to eleventh-placed Ross County in agonising fashion, with a last-gasp goal leaving them six points adrift at the foot of the table.

County also have a game in hand over Livingston and there is an eight-point gap to tenth-placed St Johnstone.

With 11 games still to play, and with crucial games on the midweek fixture list, Martindale knows that his side would have to turn around results swiftly to have a chance of making the play-offs, never mind reach guaranteed safety. He says that’s not beyond his squad.

“I maybe sound a wee bit deluded to people outside the building but I genuinely believe we’ve got enough to stay in this league,” he said.

“I genuinely believe that, and I need to make sure the players believe that.

“I do believe it’s not done and dusted. The gap is six points with 11 games to play.

“If we can pick up three points on Wednesday and all goes well in the game between Ross County and St Mirren, it puts a wee bit of pressure on the teams above. And I’d probably throw St Johnstone into the mix as well.

“The teams above us will be saying the same type of thing, ‘can we open up that gap?’, but I can only focus on my group and the Motherwell game on Wednesday.”

Many pre-season predictions had Livingston as favourites for relegation and results since then won’t have changed opinion but the opportunity to make people eat their words is an added motivation for the manager.

“Since matchday one when we came back to the Premiership almost six years ago, it’s been the same story,” he said.

“A broken clock is right twice day. So if that was to happen , you’ll have all these media pundits coming out saying ‘I told you so’, but what were their predictions for the five previous years?

“It doesn’t really bother me, but will it make it that bit sweeter if we can keep Livingston in the Premiership? Probably.”