Livingston manager Marvin Bartley insists his team can pull off a miracle escape act after cutting the gap at the Premiership basement with a point in the draw with St Mirren.
Dan Nlundulu put fellow strugglers Saints ahead a minute before the break but the hosts drew level in the second half courtesy of a Brooklyn Kabongolo’s header.
Livingston moved to within seven points of 11th place Kilmarnock at the basement with nine games to play.
And even though the West Lothian side remain without a league win since August, Bartley, who replaced the long-serving Davie Martindale in the dugout at the start of February, remains optimistic about his team’s survival prospects.
Bartley said: “It’s seven points at this moment in time, with nine games to go.
“It’s something that can be turned around really, really quickly.
“We’ll keep chipping away until we get to the split and then we’ll see where we’re at.
“But this team’s more than good enough to do so.
“You know we will not give up. We will get out of this situation we’re currently in.
“We spoke to the players when I first came in to take over as manager that we need to get as close as we possibly can by the split. And then after the split, we’ll see where we’re at but we’re a point closer.”
In an edgy first half the visitors went ahead in the 44th minute when Nlundulu headed in a Mikael Mandron cross from six yards.
But Livingston levelled in the 76th minute when Kabongolo got on the end of a cross from debutant winger Barrie McKay to head past Shamal Geroge.
Bartley added: “I think in the first half we had a real nervousness to us. We gave away the ball a couple of times and it looked like we let it get to us.
“The biggest thing for me when I speak to the players every day in training is that mistakes are going to happen in terms of giving the ball away.
“It’s about how you react and as I said, I think maybe the occasion of the game, knowing what was at stake, it maybe got to us a little bit and that’s something we need to look at.”
St Mirren moved three points clear of Kilmarnock and can stretch that gap when they face Dundee United in Tuesday’s rescheduled clash at Tannadice.
Robinson was determined to focus on the positives despite the disappointment of failing to see the game out.
Robinson, whose team were thrashed 5-0 by Motherwell last weekend, said: “It’s a point gained. It was a disappointing goal we conceded because I didn’t see Livingston scoring.
“It’s a long loopy ball into the box, that is again another poor individual decision and we get punished by it.
“It’s a really poor goal but there were a lot of positives in it.
“I thought the first half we were good. We pressed much better, we looked a lot more solid and we hit the crossbar.
“But ultimately it takes us another point away from Kilmarnock and another point closer to the teams above us as well.”
