David Martindale hails "old-fashioned" striker and makes Ally McCoist comparison as Livingston ease drop fears

Livingston manager David Martindale has described Bruce Anderson as among the last surviving members of a dying breed after the striker scored twice in a 2-0 win over Dundee.

Livingston manager David Martindale gets his point across during the 2-0 win over Dundee (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

The victory relieves relegation pressure on Livingston and means they can start looking up the table. Anderson is a big reason for this improvement in fortunes and Martindale compared his appetite for goals to that of Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd.

His eighth and ninth goals of the season leave his side just two points off seventh placed Dundee United. Dundee meanwhile are now seven points behind Martindale’s side in 11 th place and appear in peril after a sixth successive defeat.

“It was a big win, with a clean sheet and two goals and we were unlucky we didn’t score more, if I’m honest,” said Martindale.

Anderson has reacted the way the manager wanted to the challenge presented by Joel Nouble’s return to the club after a produce loan spell at Arbroath. “We dominated large spells of the game and wee Brucie...he had three chances to score before he got his first goal and he ends up scoring twice,” said Martindale. “Fair play to him.“He’s an old-fashioned No.9 who plays football to score goals and he’s part of a dying breed. You don’t really get that from young boys coming through nowadays. We need to get the ball to him more often because he has the uncanny knack - which you can’t coach – of almost always being in the right area at the right time.“He has a striker’s instinct, just like players from years ago – like Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd – who lived to score. He’s very similar.

“I think that’s him on nine goals now. We still have a lot of games to play and he can get himself into double figures. He’s under pressure just now with Joel (Nouble) coming in but he has the No 9 shirt.

"I’d a fair Idea that Hearts would probably pick up the three points (v St Johnstone),” he added. “So we’re looking at this thinking there’s a chance to go seven ahead of Dundee, nine ahead of St Johnstone...

"In footballing terms, when you around the bottom end of the table, that’s massive.”