How Scott Pittman added to his Livingston legend story to down directionless Hibs

There are few better individual stories in the Scottish Premiership than that of Scott Pittman. And it is one with chapters continuing to be added.

On the day the midfielder became the club's record top-flight appearance holder, taking over from Oscar Rubio with 124 matches under his belt, there was only going to be one man to finish off a wonderful pass-and-move goal, involving Jason Holt and Morgan Boyes, which brimmed with confidence to down Hibs 1-0.

Scott ‘the hitman’ Pittman as the Livi stadium announcer declared him.

His story is well known around these parts of West Lothian but it doesn't make it any less fascinating. In the early 2010s he was in the juniors with Broxburn Athletic. By 2015 it was Bo’ness United.

Early that year he had the choice of four SPFL clubs but he opted for Livingston who were then in the Championship. Talk about decision making. An inspired choice.

One relegation and two promotions later he is, at the age of 29, an established Premiership midfielder, as he has been for a while now. Any doubts about the step up to the top-flight were very quickly dispelled in the 2018/19 season. He has shown himself to be one of the fittest around, running and running. As one club employee put it recently, he has racked up ‘thousands(!)’ of miles across nearly 300 games – averaging 41 over seven seasons.

But he is a fine football player and a wonderful reader of the game, deciding when to make those runs forward which make him a threat.

When Livingston were hesitant in the first half as Hibs dominated it was Shinnie breaking forward to create a rare opening. On the flip side producing a big defensive block to deny Jake Doyle-Hayes.

Scott Pittman celebrates making it 1-0 against Hibs. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

‘When does the game start’

A truer representation of Livi appeared after the interval with one fan querying around the 30 minute mark ‘what times does the game start Livingston?’. They pressed, harried and engaged, led by Pittman. And they showed with that goal they can play, the midfielder running onto a cut-back, as he has so often done for the club, to fire high into the net.

The season's end can't come quick enough for Hibs as they look for a new direction under a new manager. They played well and confidently in the opening 45 minutes, until they got into the final third. They couldn’t muster a shot on target with James Scott summing up the state of play in front of goal, missing the ball when Harry Clarke swept in a brilliant cross.

Clarke and Doig provided real thrust from the flanks as Joe Newell and Doyle-Hayes controlled midfield. But with no end product they were the equivalent of a bottle of Irn-Bru which has lost all of its fizz. Eighteen shots, none on target, it couldn't have been an easier outing for Livi's Russian goalkeeper Ivan Konovalov.

Livingston should have added a second moments after going in front when Alan Forrest reacted to a loose Joe Newell pass across the edge of his box but that, or a Hibs equaliser which never really looked like materialising, would have taken away from a day that belonged to Scott Pittman. And Scott Pittman only.

Livingston: Konovalov; Devlin, Fitzwater, Obileye, Boyes; Holt, Kelly, Pittman, Bailey (Forrest 66’), Nouble (Soto 90’), Shinnie (Sibbald 84’).

Hibs: Macey; McGinn, Hanlon, Stevenson (Mitchell 81’); Clarke, Doyle-Hayes, Newell, Doig; Henderson; Scott (Jasper 61’), Melkersen.