This was not the Livingston of this season on Saturday afternoon.

Consideration must, of course, be given to the level of opposition against a team in a lower tier but this was an energetic and assured performance from a team who have looked to be in freefall in recent months.

Gary Holt walked away from his post this week after dropping a significant hint that he was about to do so in the aftermath of the defeat to St Mirren last weekend and with only changes in three personnel to that team, this was a markedly different display.

By the time the game had hit the 12-minute mark, Ayr could have headed back down the M8 for there was no return after an early annihilation by Livingston.

Jack Fitzwater netted twice to supplement a deflected opener from Josh Mullin while the impressive Alan Forrest netted the pick of the bunch with a fierce drive from the edge of the box just before the break.

The challenge, however, is all about finding the same kind of zest when they host Dundee United on Saturday afternoon.

"Our season will probably start from now and we've got to improve on the last few weeks' results,” said Fitzwater. Some of our performances have been good but we've lost, and then we've won games where we haven't played as well.

"I think if we keep up the standards we've set against Ayr then it will put us in good stead for the season. But we are one game away from going to Hampden now which is huge for us.”

David Martindale, head of football operations at Livingston, has considered throwing his hat into the ring for assuming the role vacated by Gary Holt last week on a full-time basis.

For Fitzwater, though, it is about sustaining the display and ensuring that Livingston get themselves out of their precarious position at the bottom end of the table. The club have dropped to tenth spot but have a buoyed St Mirren side closing in on them. With just a point between them, the Paisley side have three games in hand to play over the West Lothian side who have lost nine league games so far this term.

Finding some stability to pull away from the drop has to be the priority, however enticing the prospect of a Hampden date may be in the League Cup.
"It's one of those things in football - it happens and you have to draw a line in the sand and go again,” he said.

“I think the way we've trained since it happened and the way we went about things in Saturday's game shows that we're a good group of lads and there's more to come from us.

"I think you could see it from the first whistle. Obviously we haven't had a good few weeks and we needed to get a result.”

Equally of note is the personal challenge for the 23-year-old now is ensuring that he keeps his place in the team, regardless of who is picking it.

"When I first got in the team we weren't picking up results, then I got an unfortunate injury for five or six weeks. That kind of killed me, really,” he said. 

"But I've just been working hard and now it's my time to try to keep the shirt. If I can do that for the next game, then so be it. If not, I'll be trying to get it back off whoever takes it."