Falkirk won 1-0 on Saturday but would have to wait before they could enjoy it properly. A penalty was converted by Rory Loy in the first half to leave Livingston a goal behind and a man down yet it was the west Lothian side which took advantage of the incident, with Mark Burchill, Callum Fordyce and Marc McNulty all coming close to levelling the score.
A crude challenge from Coll Donaldson sent Conor McGrandles to the ground inside the penalty area, with the Livingston defender also sent off. His team-mates would rally in his absence, though, and it was John McGlynn who would emerge as the more satisfied manager afterwards.
"I am really proud of the players because we actually managed to dominate the game with 10 men," said the Livingston manager. "I am gutted for them that we haven't taken something from the game."
Falkirk are now unbeaten in seven matches and assumed third place in the SPFL Championship table. It is a comfortable position to be in, albeit Gary Holt was unsettled by how his side had performed after going ahead. "We became sloppy after the sending off," acknowledged the Falkirk manager.
There was a more refined performance from Stranraer, though, with the League 1 side affirming their aspirations of finishing among the promotion play-off places with a 4-0 win at home to Ayr United. The visitors had arrived knowing that a win would allow them to leapfrog Stranraer, only to look more like sitting ducks as Martin Grehan, Sean Winter and Andy Stirling eased their side to victory.
It would not be quite as comfortable a win for Queen's Park on Saturday, although the League 2 side are not yet able to quibble about the quality of their victories. The Glasgow side remain at the bottom of the division and the weekend was marked by only their second league win this term - one which dented the title ambitions of Clyde.
They are now five points off the lead and feel particularly aggrieved since they scored first on Saturday, with Stefan McCluskey's first-half strike putting them in front. Blair Spittall levelled for Queen's from the penalty spot before Thomas Collins secured a first win for the club since October 29.
Clyde's defeat paved the way for Annan Athletic to join them in second place thanks to a 2-0 win over in-form Albion Rovers, with Josh Todd and Kenny Mackay getting the goals. Elsewhere, Stirling Albion came from behind to overcome East Stirlingshire at home and move into the play-off places.
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