Livingston 0 St Johnstone 0: Saints remain ninth after stalemate in West Lothian

St Johnstone’s hunt for a first away win of the season moves into the new year after a miserable stalemate against Livingston.

Anyone hoping for a post-Christmas cracker soon discovered they were in the wrong place during a game lacking both quality and clear-cut chances.

The point leaves Saints sitting in ninth position and now looking to their next fixture at Dundee on January 2.

Stevie May’s time on the pitch has been limited this season but manager Craig Levein decided it was the right occasion to throw him back up top alongside Nicky Clark.

Clark’s class was more than evident during his stint off the bench against Kilmarnock and travelling fans would be nodding in approval when he was in from the start in West Lothian.

He is by far the most clinical striker in Saints’ armoury but relying solely on his goals moving forward would be a dangerous tactic.

Nobody of a Perth persuasion needs reminding about how clinical May can be and, while clearly a different type of forward now, he showed last term that he still knows where the net is.

Sporting a haircut dating back to a time when it was jumpers for goalposts down the local park in Newburgh, you can guarantee that he will be a willing runner for the cause.

That was evident as early as the sixth minute when Saints’ number seven chased down a lost cause and stole the ball from Ayo Obileye in a promising position.

Referee Kevin Clancy, eventually, decided to whistle for a foul well after May had broken into the box and attempted to square for Clark.

May was again proving to be a menace in the 20th minute when his well-timed run sent him powering in behind Michael Nottingham. He hit the deck but Clancy was unmoved.

In terms of clear-cut chances, there really