Livingston boss David Martindale insists the pressure is all on St Mirren ahead of the Lions’ pivotal trip to Paisley.
But while he says a win for his troops on Saturday would see them take a huge step towards a top six berth, he knows they’ll be in for a challenging afternoon.
The Tony Macaroni Arena outfit head into the fixture with a one point advantage over their hosts in the battle for a top six finish ahead of the split but recent history hasn’t been kind to the Lions at the SMISA Stadium.
Livi haven’t won in their last seven trips to Paisley – with the last victory being a 2-0 triumph in August 2018 on Gary Holt’s managerial debut – while the Buddies boast the best home defensive record outside the top two.
Speaking to the Courier, Martindale said: “It’s a very, very difficult place to go. We’re under absolutely no illusions it will be anything other than a tough game. They’ve got a very good home record.
“We’re a point ahead of them with only four games to go and if we were to get the win and make it four points, I think that would be absolutely huge.
“If we were to win the game, I think it would make it difficult for St Mirren given they’ve still got to play two of the top three.”
He added: “It’s just about us trying to go in there and maintain our standards. If you’re being honest, a loss probably isn’t as critical or severe for us as it would be for St Mirren but they’ll know that and there’s no doubt they’ll be trying to get the three points.”
Livi head into the clash off the back of a morale-boosting win over Ross County before the international break, which Martindale admits was much needed.
He commented: “It really helped the boys just getting that bad run out the way but if you looked back at those games in isolation, we were a wee bit unlucky not to get more and some decisions went against us.
“I’m fairly comfortable with where we are going into the game.”
Livingston are hoping to welcome back winger Steven Bradley, who featured in Tuesday’s reserve clash with Dundee, while Jack Fitzwater returns from suspension.
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