Livingston 3 - 1 Partick Thistle: Clinical Livi show their mettle

Livingston ended a tumultuous week in spectacular fashion, racking up a clinical 3-1 win against Partick Thistle.

The Livi players showed no ill-effects from the dramatic dismissal of manager Gary Bollan seven days ago, with caretaker boss Brian Welsh guiding the West Lothian side to their first win of 2012 in scintillating fashion.

Speaking after the match, Welsh, pictured below, described the vocation as temporary manager as “not a job I wanted,” as he prepares to take up a post in the US next week, but his charges were wholly impressive.

The hosts, containing just four players over the age of 23 – a notable fact, given Bollan was reportedly shown the door for a lack of emphasis on youth – were ahead just before the break through teenager Mark McNulty, who slotted home in calm fashion after a Stefan Scougall drive was parried away.

A quickfire double from a towering Paul Watson header and a Kyle Jacobs strike put the game to bed, while Bobby Barr could have given the scoreline an even more handsome hue, with the diminutive winger seeing three efforts well saved by Jags keeper Scott Fox.

Jackie McNamara’s side claimed a late consolation through Paul Cairney, but it was of little consequence to the audibly disgruntled band of visiting fans.