Livingston boss David Martindale admitted a slump at the wrong time of the campaign ultimately put paid to their top six hopes.
A 2-0 away loss at Dundee United saw them end up on the wrong side of the split for the second straight campaign - despite looking near certainties to book their place a couple of months ago.
A run of just 10 points from their last 12 games saw them miss out in agonising fashion as a 25-yard strike from Jamie McGrath was added to by a late Steven Fletcher goal after Cristian Montano had been caught in possession.
