David Martindale claimed his players were making management easy for him after Livingston recorded their eighth straight win since he took charge.
A 3-1 victory over Ross County meant Livi doubled their previous best winning run as a top-flight team and are one victory away from equalling a club record. That was set four years ago when Martindale was assistant to David Hopkin with the club in League One.
Martindale said: “I can take a wee bit of credit but it’s the players. Players make football easy.
“I am just really, really delighted for the boys. The changing room is absolutely buzzing. My team talks are so easy, so short.
“After the game, we have done it the last four games, I go in, turn the music on, they dance in a circle, I turn it off and say ‘well done, see you tomorrow.’ It’s a good changing room.”
Martindale had a major say in proceedings with his substitutes playing a key role.
Livi took an early lead through Scott Robinson’s lob but were pegged back when Charlie Lakin finished well after getting the break of the ball.
Bottom club County defended their box well for most of the second half but Alan Forrest finished off an excellent move with nine minutes left and then set up fellow substitute Jack Hamilton to net in stoppage-time.
“I told the boys at half-time to continue to stick to the game plan and in the second half we dominated most of the possession and we earned our just rewards, albeit it was late in the game,” Martindale said.
While things are going better than he could have imagined on the park, Martindale faces a potential obstacle on Monday when a Scottish Football Association hearing will consider his appointment.
Livi are confident the SFA’s inclusion and diversity policy will ensure there are no issues over Martindale’s six-and-a-half year jail sentence from 2008.
“What will be, will be,” he said. “Hopefully they make the right decision but whatever it is, I will just take it on the chin.”
Meanwhile, County boss John Hughes took some encouragement from the way his side had challenged the in-form hosts.
“We had to go and match Livingston and we certainly did that,” he said.
“Livingston knew they were in the game, that’s for sure. It’s just unfortunate we never got anything out of the game.
“Even at 1-1 we went aggressive with our substitutes. We just felt we needed to get up the pitch a little bit.
“When we go that way, we leave ourselves vulnerable the other way. That’s where we are at the moment.
“Even at 2-1 Tony Andreu had a shot which the goalkeeper saved, and usually we would see that hit the back of the net.”
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