David Martindale was delighted as his Livingston side took a big step towards the William Hill Premiership play-off final with a 2-0 victory over Partick Thistle at Firhill.
However, the Livi boss insisted his side can perform better ahead of the semi-final second-leg tie and was looking forward to playing back on the artificial pitch.
The Lions started the game brightly before having to survive a spell of Thistle pressure.
Scott Pittman broke the deadlock six minutes before half-time against the run of play, then Danny Wilson fired the ball home in the 52nd minute to double their advantage.
“I’m delighted with the result (but) I think we’ve played better to be honest,” Martindale said. “Partick looked jaded, out on their feet — I think it’s a huge ask for third or fourth.
“The park was better than the last time we were here, though it was still a bit fiery and bumpy.
“I’ll get slaughtered for this, but it’ll be good to get back to the astroturf — the ball moves a bit truer.”
After a 10-day break, Livingston looked the fresher of the two sides, particularly in the second half.
The Jags have now played three games in the space of a week and injuries are mounting up for Brian Graham and Mark Wilson’s side, a factor Martindale is keen to seize upon come Friday’s second leg.
He added: “The game’s not done, it’s only half-time.
“I feel for Mark (Wilson) and Brian Graham a wee bit, they’ve turned it around and it’s been a fantastic run for them.
“I’ll not be taking them lightly, but we need to try and use their schedule against them.”
Thistle interim co-boss Wilson is not giving up on their promotion dream, despite their disappointing showing against the Lions.
In recent weeks, the hosts have had a happy habit of doing things the hard way. First securing their play-off place with victories over the top two sides in the Championship, then battling back from a goal down to defeat Ayr in the quarter-final.
Wilson said: “The result is a sore one. The way we played was pretty disappointing – Livi thoroughly deserved it.
“We didn’t start well and Livi took control of the game pretty quickly.
“It’s been tough, we just need to get on with it. We’ll not pin any excuses on our squad depth. The full group has been great, they’ve dug deep time and time again.
“In the 97th minute against Falkirk, against Livingston when we were up against it and particularly against Ayr United when we managed to go to Somerset, score two goals and keep a clean sheet — there’s no reason why we can’t do that again.”
