FIT AND PROPER GAFFER
Martindale’s winning streak goes on ahead of SFA ruling
THE SFA’s ruling on David Martindale’s suitability to be Livingston manager today should not — and will not — take account of anything other than his rehabilitation as an individual.
In terms of the man’s aptness for the position based on his coaching credentials? Well, any debate over that ended some time ago.
The impact the 46-year-old has had at the club since succeeding Gary Holt in the post is beginning to defy description.
To put it in context, this sixth straight league win, an eighth overall, makes Martindale the first manager to achieve that run at the outset of a tenure since Neil Lennon at Celtic in 2010.
It’s nothing short of extraordinary and you begin to wonder where Livvy might be sitting had he been in from the start this season. Now six points behind fourth-placed Hibernian, it may soon be hard for the West Lothian side to dampen talk of European football.
Although they had to wait until late on for this win, they richly deserved it. Two substitutes, Alan Forrest and Jack Hamilton, did the damage inside the final nine minutes to ensure the bandwagon rolls on and on.
‘That’s the boys,’ said Martindale. ‘I can take a wee bit of credit but it’s the players. Players make football easy.
‘I am really delighted for them. The changing room is absolutely buzzing. My team talks are so easy, so short.
‘After the game, we have done it the last four matches, I go in, turn the music on, they dance in a circle, I turn it off and say: “Well done, see you tomorrow”. It’s a good changing room.’
Asked about today’s hearing to establish if he is a fit-and-proper person, he added: ‘What will be, will be. Hopefully they make the right decision but whatever it is, I will just take it on the chin.’
Having waited an additional 24 hours for this game to get underway, Livvy started like a train.
Marvin Bartley’s sharpness in the tackle allowed Nicky Devlin to play a percentage ball down the right channel.
With County’s defence slow to react and their keeper Ross Laidlaw not knowing whether to stick or twist, Scott Robinson was afforded just a sniff of a chance.
What a finish he produced, though. A textbook lob floated over the keeper’s head for his third goal in as many matches. Talk about making the game look easy.
It was predictably spicy throughout. Jason Holt set the tone for much of what was to come with a cynical scything of Charlie Lakin, with Jordan Till son immediately levelling the card count by crunching into Josh Mullin.
A second goal for Martindale’s side in the opening period would not have flattered them. Scott Pittman thought he’d secured it until his dipping strike landed on the roof of the net.
County levelled on 28 minutes with what was effectively their first foray up the park.
Harry Paton displayed the kind of ingenuity they had been badly lacking with a run that eliminated three yellow jerseys. A speculative shot found its way to Lakin, who coolly finished from inside the area.
It was all the encouragement John Hughes’ men needed. Oli Shaw ought to have turned the game in County’s favour when he threw himself at a Jason Naismith’s cross but he produced a wayward header from inside the six-yard box.
County were certainly up for the battle. Alex Iacovitti took it a step too far with a ferocious challenge on Devlin which saw referee Alan Muir dip into his pocket once more.
Livingston began to i mpose themselves on the contest again as the first half drew to a close. Only Coll Donaldson’s positioning on the line prevented Holt’s angled effort nestling in the net.
There was a steel to much of County’s play that was absent in the latter weeks of last year.
Ross Draper’s sliding block to deny Devlin early in the second half was a case in point. Laidlaw had to react smartly to deny Craig Sibbald curling in the follow-up.
Further bookings for Draper and Paton were indicative of the direction of traffic. Iacovitti really should gave walked for a second yellow card on Devlin but he escaped with a final warning.
Holt, in particular, ensured that the hosts continued to dominate, his dancing feet repeatedly asking questions of the County defence.
More than anything, however, it was Martindale’s canny substitutes which turned one point i nto another three.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas had only been on the field for 60 seconds when he got himself out of a tight spot in midfield and began making a beeline for goal.
A smart one-two with Pittman allowed Forrest to enter the fray, with his shot coming off Iacovitti as it rippled the net.
A breathless end to an entertaining affair saw County sub Tony Andreu fire straight into the waiting arms of goalkeeper Max Stryjek.
It took until the first minute of injury time for the game to be put beyond County’s grasp.
Forrest, excellent in the 22 minutes he was on the field, bobbed and weaved down the left before squaring for Hamilton to fire home.
For all the many positives that County showed here, the fact of the matter is that they are now anchored to the bottom of the Premiership table.
‘I don’t think it was a great game of football,’ said Hughes. ‘We had to go and match them and Livingston knew they were in a game.
‘It was just unfortunate we never got anything out of it. But you have to give credit where it’s due because Livingston are on a great run at the moment.’
LIVINGSTON: (4-2-3-1): Stryjek 7; Devlin 7, Ambrose 7, Guthrie 7, Brown 7; Bartley 7, Holt 8; Mullin 7 (Forrest 68), Pittman 7, Sibbald 7 (Emmanuel-Thomas 80); Robinson 7 (Hamilton 71). Subs not used: McCrorie, Serrano, McMillan, Lawson, Taylor-Sinclair, Tiffoney. Booked: Holt.
ROSS COUNTY (4-1-4-1): Laidlaw 6; Naismith 6, Watson 6, Iacovitti 5, Tillson 5 (Mckay 74); Lakin 5 (Andreu 84); Donaldson 6, Kelly 5 (Vigurs 84), Draper 6, Paton 6 (Charles-Cook 67); Shaw 5. Subs not used: Doohan, Randall, Gardyne, Hylton, Reid. Booked: Tillson, Iacovitti, Draper, Paton, Charles-Cook.
Man of the match: Jason Holt. Referee: Alan Muir.