Livingston Vs Ross

Livingston will welcome Ross County to the Tony Macaroni Arena on Thursday evening in what promises to be a pivotal clash in the first leg of the Scottish Premiership playoff final. This fixture represents the opening act of a two-legged showdown that will determine which of these two sides will feature in the top tier of Scottish football next season. For Livingston, the journey to this crucial match has been one of recovery and determination. Relegated from the Premiership last season after a dismal campaign that saw them rooted to the bottom of the table, the Lions are now just 180 minutes away from reclaiming their place in the elite division. For Ross County, the stakes are just as high but from the opposite perspective—they are fighting to avoid the drop, having finished 11th in the Premiership standings after a frustrating and erratic season.

The story of Livingston’s fall and attempted rise has been defined by grit and ambition. After spending six consecutive seasons in the top flight, their relegation at the end of the 2023–24 campaign was a bitter pill to swallow. They ended that campaign with just 25 points from 38 games, well adrift of safety by a margin of 10 points. Despite the bleak outcome, manager David Martindale retained his position at the helm. Having taken charge of the club in November 2020, Martindale entered the new campaign with a clear objective: to engineer an immediate return to the Premiership.

Livingston’s response to relegation was encouraging from the outset. Over the course of the Scottish Championship season, they were one of the division’s most consistent sides. At no point did they fall below third place in the table, and they eventually secured second place with a tally of 70 points from 36 games. Their league record—a commendable 20 wins, 10 draws, and only six defeats—demonstrated the cohesion and resilience that Martindale had managed to instill in his squad. Although they finished three points behind champions Falkirk, missing out on automatic promotion, they entered the playoff semi-finals with momentum and confidence.

In that semi-final tie, Livingston faced Partick Thistle and delivered a performance that underlined their promotion credentials. Across both legs, the Lions were dominant and assured, cruising to a 4-0 aggregate victory. Their ability to control the tempo, nullify threats, and convert key chances suggested a team that had matured and hardened since last season’s relegation. Securing a spot in the playoff final was a significant milestone, but their task is far from over. Against Ross County, they face an opponent well-acquainted with the demands and pressures of this unique playoff scenario.

Livingston, though, will take comfort from their formidable home record. Throughout the Championship campaign, they suffered just two league defeats on their own turf. The Tony Macaroni Arena has proven a tough venue for visiting teams, and Livingston will aim to make full use of that advantage in the first leg. Additionally, history is on their side when it comes to meetings with Ross County at home. The Lions have only lost once in the past ten encounters between these two sides in West Lothian, giving Martindale’s men an added layer of psychological belief heading into Thursday’s contest.

Their opponents, Ross County, arrive at the playoff final through a very different path—one fraught with tension, near misses, and late-season disappointment. Despite entering the campaign with aspirations of consolidating their Premiership status and pushing for mid-table stability, the Staggies instead endured a turbulent season. Under the guidance of Don Cowie, the team managed just 37 points from 38 league fixtures, a return that saw them record nine wins, 10 draws, and suffer 19 defeats. Those numbers placed them in 11th, narrowly avoiding automatic relegation but consigning them to the dangerous and often unpredictable playoff final.

It wasn’t always destined to end this way for Ross County. With just four rounds remaining in the regular Premiership season, they held a seemingly comfortable cushion over the bottom two. However, a dramatic collapse ensued. Four consecutive defeats allowed their rivals to close the gap, and by the time the post-split fixtures arrived, the situation had deteriorated further. A string of underwhelming performances—three defeats and two draws in the post-split stage—left County firmly entrenched in 11th, unable to break free from the playoff fate that had haunted them in previous years.

What makes Ross County’s situation particularly intriguing is that this will be their third straight appearance in the Premiership playoff final. And notably, they have emerged victorious on both prior occasions. In the 2022–23 season, they edged out Partick Thistle in dramatic fashion, winning 5-4 on penalties after a tense 3-3 draw on aggregate. A year earlier, they swept aside Raith Rovers with an emphatic 6-1 aggregate triumph. These experiences have given the Staggies a level of poise and familiarity with the format that could prove invaluable. In high-stakes matches such as these, psychological fortitude often makes the difference—and Ross County know better than most what it takes to survive.

However, form is not in their favor. The Staggies enter this final on the back of a wretched run that has seen them go winless in their last nine matches. Seven of those have ended in defeat, with the remaining two yielding draws. That prolonged slump, combined with the downward spiral at the business end of the season, has put Cowie’s squad under immense pressure. Confidence is clearly lacking, and the task of turning the tide in such a short timeframe will require a sharp tactical recalibration and a renewed sense of belief.

Their recent record against Livingston is also cause for concern. In their last eight meetings with the Lions, Ross County have managed just two victories, alongside four defeats and two draws. That head-to-head history suggests a pattern of struggle when facing Martindale’s side, and the fact that they now travel to a venue where success has historically been elusive only compounds the difficulty of the task.

Nevertheless, County cannot be written off. Despite their flaws and inconsistencies, they remain a Premiership side with top-flight experience and a roster that contains players capable of rising to the occasion. They’ve been here before—and triumphed—and that institutional memory may offer an edge in what is likely to be a tight and hard-fought battle over two legs.

As both teams prepare for the first leg, the pressure is immense but different in nature. For Livingston, the opportunity to complete their redemption arc and return to the Premiership just one year after relegation is tantalizing. For Ross County, survival is at stake. The financial implications, the prestige, and the trajectory of each club’s near future hang in the balance. One will ascend or remain; the other will be consigned to a year of second-tier football and the rebuilding that inevitably follows.

The clash at the Tony Macaroni Arena will not just be a football match—it will be a test of nerves, preparation, and execution. The stakes could hardly be higher, and while the final outcome won’t be decided until the return leg, the tone will be set in this opening encounter. For Livingston, a strong result at home would give them crucial momentum heading into the second leg in Dingwall. For Ross County, avoiding defeat on the road would be a vital first step toward securing their top-flight survival.

Thursday night promises drama, emotion, and high tension—hallmarks of the Scottish Premiership playoff final. And as the fans take their seats and the teams emerge onto the pitch, both sets of players will know that everything they’ve worked for this season comes down to these two matches. There’s no room for error. The path to promotion—or preservation—starts now.