LESS than two months into 2019 and we already have a candidate for understatement of the year. “It’s been a tough week,” surmised Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke, putting it somewhat mildly. Just a bit.

Clarke’s comments in the aftermath of the sectarian abuse he received at Ibrox on Wednesday night have sparked a nationwide debate on the issue. He was reluctant to revisit the subject following this defeat to Livingston but hoped the reaction over the last few days would prove to be a “watershed moment” in how sectarianism is tackled in football.

“I’m a football manager, I'm not a politician,” he added. “I'm not involved in the law. I want to go do my job and not worry about these distractions, worries or name callings and stuff like that.”

Kilmarnock could do without those distractions, too. This was a seventh match in succession without a victory, their early-season form that saw them top the Ladbrokes Premiership table fast becoming a fading memory. They were without seven key players here due to injury and suspension, and struck the crossbar three times, but the feeling lingered that their season is in grave danger of petering out.

Clarke, though, bullishly praised his players’ efforts and felt that on another day they would have earned at least a draw.

“I think we were in the game from the first minute to the last,” he insisted. “I’ve no complaints as a coach when I look at the effort and application.

“I thought the boys that came in did well. We were maybe just lacking a little bit of quality in the final third, but we hit the crossbar three times.

“Everybody will look at the result and say “Kilmarnock have gone”. We haven’t gone. It’s just one of those weeks that reminds you professional football is a tough game.”

The Herald:

READ MORE: St Johnstone 0 Aberdeen 2: Graeme Shinnie double moves Derek McInnes's men to within two points of Rangers

Many thought Livingston “had gone” too given their wretched run of form but they managed to arrest that slump here. A first win since December arrived courtesy of Chris Erskine’s maiden goal for the club and they are now only four points off a place in the top six.

That goal arrived in the final minute of an otherwise tepid first half and with their first shot on target. Alan Lithgow’s long throw-ins are as dangerous as any free-kick or corner and Kilmarnock didn’t deal with it.

Steven Lawless flicked the ball on to Erskine and the forward pirouetted on the spot before finishing with some aplomb past Daniel Bachmann in the visitors’ goal.

“I think we got what we deserved,” said manager Gary Holt. “If you take away the first half against Motherwell - when we were rubbish - we have been excellent this season. We rode our luck with them hitting the bar three times but Chris has come in and got his first goal for the club.”

The Herald:

READ MORE: Win at Manchester United would then put title in Liverpool's hands

Erskine seems a curious fit for Livingston but, pushed into an unaccustomed centre-forward role, it worked well here. He and former Partick Thistle team-mate Lawless linked up well, with Erskine recovering from a sloppy start to make a strong contribution.

“I gave Chris a bit of stick as he gave the first two balls away,” added Holt, with a smile. “We work on our focal point [of] not giving the ball away.

“But after that he clicked that he was up there on his own and needed to look after it. He ran the channels well, held the ball up and out their two centre-halves under all sorts of pressure. His movement is tremendous and he takes defenders into places they don’t want to go.”