Marvin Bartley surveyed the implications of their 2-1 midweek home defeat by Falkirk in the William Hill Premiership and said: “There will be a lot of learning from that.”
The Lions have until next Wednesday to take his thoughts on board, and their next opponents are? Celtic at Parkhead (19.45).
The former Hibs midfielder said: “We’ve got a massive game at Celtic Park, and all the games are massive for us now.”
The stark situation is that Livingston anchor the 12-strong table with 11 points from 25 games. Kilmarnock, who were down to ten men after three minutes at Ibrox and lost 5-1, have17 points from the same number of games.
Dundee are tenth with 23 points from a game less and St Mirren, thanks to their 1-0 victory over pace-setting Hearts on Tuesday, are in ninth spot with 23 points from 24 fixtures.
Bartley told BBC Sport Scotland: “When you play games of football and you cost yourself with two goals in the first half, maybe people will say you don’t deserve anything.
“In the second half we got a massive reaction from the players, but I told them we shot ourselves in the foot twice with the goals we conceded and we need to eradicate that if we are to have a chance of staying in this league.
“At half time I told them that at 2-0 down there is two ways you can look at it. You can say that’s us done or you can show a reaction with a bit of fight and a bit of spirit.”
Bartley, who took over from long-serving, David Martindale, last weekend, added: “We need to take care of the things we can control and, for me, we didn’t do that.”
IN FOCUS: Marvin Bartley meets the media at The Home of the Set Fare Arena. Picture Nigel Duncan
