Livvy on the up as Martindale makes his case
THEY may have survived whatever Scottish football’s Covid protocols could throw at them — but Dundee United had no vaccine for Livingston.
Despite their entire management team being wiped out by positive tests and nine players self-isolating in a build-up dogged by disarray, the Tannadice side managed to turn out a starting XI — and a strong one — as they looked to retake fifth spot from Motherwell.
But they were overpowered by a home team back to their relentless best under interim boss David Martindale and undone by deserved second-half goals from Scott Pittman and Marvin Bartley.
And while the pre and post-match headlines will be dominated by United’s issues, with questions still to be asked, one point surely not up for debate will be the case that Martindale has made to land the job on a permanent basis.
‘Results like that have got to help, surely?’ he said grinning. ‘I’ve said to the club that I would like the job and would be delighted to get it but if they see me staying in my current role, then I’m more than happy to do that.
‘If results like this don’t work in your favour, you need to get rid of the chief executive and chairman, need to start a protest!
‘Seriously, the next step is probably them approaching me and telling me where they are in the process but I do know we’re not in any great rush. We could probably keep it like this until Christmas if we’re still winning games. It saves another wage.’
Not that Martindale was in any way lulled into a false sense of security by the debacle engulfing his opponents. When the teamsheets were distributed a few minutes before two o’clock, the United team having arrived in two separate and presumably socially-distanced buses, it was easy to see why there had been no request for a postponement from United, and certainly no forfeit.
Not just because of the draconian points punishments they had seen dished out to Kilmarnock and St Mirren on Thursday, but mainly because, rightly, they still felt they had a starting XI which could earn them three points.
United have played their cards close to their chest as to the players’ identities. In the end, though, they made only three changes — one of them enforced due to Callum Butcher’s suspension.
The big blow, clearly, was the absence of Nicky Clark, the striker who had scored their last five league goals, a run stretching back nine weeks.
But with a scratch Scotland pair of Lawrence Shankland and Marc McNulty leading their line, both with a point to prove and form to find, it hardly felt like a major inconvenience.
American pair Dillon Powers and Ian Harkes filled the other holes left by Butcher and Paul McMullan.
Where that did leave United light, obviously, was depth. Their bench featured six 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old sitting alongside back-up goalkeeper Denis Mehmet and Louis Appere.
The only thing viral about a grim first half, however, was an inability to find the same coloured shirt with the ball, an affliction sadly besetting both teams.
Despite United’s seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions and their residence in the top six, Livingston looked more organised and purposeful with their attacking play the longer the game went on.
Both teams made tactical adjustments at the break, United switching from a back three to a four, with Craig Sibbald dropping off deeper into the Livingston midfield.
While the visitors’ efforts failed to solve their issues further up the park, however, the Lions stormed into the lead within 12 minutes of the restart.
Pittman’s 40-yard run went unchecked and the midfielder’s finish zipped low into the bottomright corner of Ben Siegrist’s net.
Either side of that, the Swiss goalkeeper had done well to deny shots from Bartley and then Josh Mullin low to his left.
But he was left exposed when Livingston added a second goal in the 74th minute.
United poorly defended Mullin’s corner and allowing Bartley a clever flick home at the near post for the Livvy captain’s first goal in a year.
United’s only answer to that was a tame Shankland effort four minutes from time, their first on target of the game, which was comfortably saved by Max Stryjek.
The absence of Clark was keenly felt by United but to be fair to the Scotland striker Shankland, he was scavenging for starvation rations for most of the game.
And with Rangers next, that’s unlikely to change.
LIVINGSTON (4-1-4-1): Stryjek; Devlin, Fitzwater, Guthrie, Serrano; Bartley; Mullin, Sibbald (Robinson 86), Pittman, Forrest (Brown 90): Poplatnik (Emmanuel-Thomas 71). Subs (not used): McCrorie, Robinson, McMillan, Brown, Taylor-Sinclair, Ambrose, Tiffoney, Lawson. Booked: Mullin, Bartley, Fitzwater, Robinson, Stryjek. DUNDEE UNITED (3-5-2): Siegrist; Connolly, Edwards, Reynolds; Smith, Powers (Appere 68), Fuchs, Harkes, Sporle; McNulty, Shankland. Subs (not used): Mehmet, Neilson, Robson, Hutchison, Watson, Duffy, Caves, Malcolm. Booked: Edwards, Reynolds.
Referee: Don Robertson.