Marvyn Bartley was full of praise for his never-say-die squad who twice battled back to a goal down to earn a point in a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at the Home of the Set Fare Arena, but will it be enough to keep their bid to stay in the top flight alive?
The former Hibs midfielder now needs results elsewhere to go their way but Bartley also felt that some of his players showcased themselves to a national TV audience with their performance.
Whatever happens over the weekend his men well be back on the training ground, working hard, and he added: “Those players will give 100 per cent.”
Focusing on the Aberdeen clash, Bartley felt that the result was another indication that his squad can compete in the William Hill Premiership and he added: “We’ve had ten or 11 games since I came here and we have lost two of the last nine, yet we are a team cut away as far as we are.
“It’s credit to the players here that we have kept in touch, and we go behind twice against (Aberdeen), a really good team, and keep bouncing back.”
A tactical switch at the break – Scott Arfield, Stevie May and Danny Wilson making way – and they freshened up his side and Bartley conceded: “Being taken off at half time is hard, but the players passed on information and helped in any way they could.”
He added: “There is nobody who was watching that game could say that my players didn’t give me everything. We did not get the win, but they gave 100 per cent. Am I proud of them? Yes.”
Despite his defiant words, Livingston have slipped closer to the abyss. The Lions have 20 points from 35 games and are eight points adrift of second-bottom Kilmarnock with only three games remaining. Killie have played a game less.
After a scrappy opening spell, Mitchell Frame broke the deadlock after 24 minutes after a slick move involving Alexander Jensen and impressive Dennis Geiger, a German-born midfielder on loan from TSG Hoffenheim.
His prompting and eye for a pass had earlier sent Olutoyosi Olusanya clear. He drove for goal and was one-on-one with Livi goalkeeper Jerome Prior but he selected to send his shot towards the far post and it was badly misdirected. A glaring miss.
Livingston kept working but it was Aberdeen who had one of the best of the chances before the break with former Scotland international, Stuart Armstrong, denied by alert Prior with his leg on a breakaway.
Bartley’s men were not totally out of this contest and Joel Nouble fired a right foot shot from the edge of the box towards the top right of the Aberdeen goal and Dimitar Mitov’s finger tips were enough to deny the powerful striker.
One wondered how Livingston were going to break through and the introduction of 31-year-old, ex-Hearts winger, Barrie McKay at half-time was rewarded instantly. His right foot shot was cleared but the ball was sent into the danger area again and Nouble was there to bundle it home two minutes into the second session.
That fired-up the home side, and had the Livi fans cheering, as they took a grip on proceedings, and Nouble had a shot blocked before the West Lothian side suffered a second blow when Daniel Finlayson scored an own goal in heavy traffic at the near post after an Armstrong free-kick on the right. Time 71 minutes.
Seven minutes later and substitute Robbie Muirhead, who took over from Nouble, pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box and the former Dunfermline, Milton Keynes, Hearts, Dundee United, Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock forward curled the ball home. It was a superb strike with his left foot and set up a tense finish.
Muirhead tried again minutes later but was just off target this time and Stephen Robinson, Aberdeen’s manager, was happy to travel back north with a point which takes The Dons closer to safety.
However, the ex-St Mirren boss stressed: “There is plenty of work to do. I thought, first half, we were very good, at times. Marvyn (Bartley) made changes, and the disappointing thing for me is that the decisions leading to both goals could be better.
”We showed good character to come back and had two great chances second-half to finish it off but there is improvement, there are positives and we are three unbeaten and, in this environment (at Livingston) that is a decent point.”
DISAPPOINTED: Joel Nouble after a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen. Picture Nigel Duncan
