A Livingston defeat ruined Christmas Day in the Martindale household a few months ago.
So Lions gaffer David joked that he’s hoping their 2-1 home win over Ross County will allow his wife Martha to have a proper Mother’s Day.
A quickfire double in the first-half from Joel Nouble and Nicky Devlin helped guide the Tony Macaroni Arena outfit back into the top six as they picked up three valuable points.
Nouble’s header - a pinpoint effort back across Ross Laidlaw from a James Penrice cross - arrived in the 37th minute of what had been a flat affair.
Barely 60 seconds later and skipper Devlin was all cheers after rifling home from 20 yards.
Simon Murray would bundle the ball home midway through the second-half to set up a frantic finish but the Lions defended well to see out the contest and hopefully ensure Mrs Martindale gets to enjoy her day.
Martindale commented: “You go home having not won a game of football, you walk in and even the dog doesn’t come to see you because it knows you’ve been beaten.
“You try and put a brave face on it but you're deflated. My wife just leaves me be and sometimes you want to lock yourself in a dark room.
“I don’t think people understand the pressures of being a football manager - not that I’m looking for any sympathy at all.
“After winning this game, the dog will come jumping out, my wife and daughter will come jumping out.
“It’s Mother’s Day tomorrow, I think I ruined Christmas because we got beat 4-0 at Easter Road on Christmas Eve. I got dropped off from the bus in the middle of Edinburgh and walked home feeling sorry for myself and probably ruined everybody’s Christmas.
“I’ll try and get something booked to give Martha a half-decent Mother’s Day.”
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here