CRAIG Halkett is confident Livingston can continue their sensational start to the Ladbrokes Premiership - if they carry on defending like they did against Rangers on Sunday.

Halkett and his team mates beat Steven Gerrard's side 1-0 at the Tony Macaroni Arena to draw level with second-placed Hibernian in the league table.

Gerrard said afterwards that his team could have played all day and not managed to score - a remark that the members of Gary Holt's defence have taken confidence from.

The Almondvale captain, a lifelong Rangers supporter, feels the Premiership new boys, who won promotion via the play-offs last season, can keep their impressive run going.

“It was a big result, but it was just another three points on the board," said Halkett. "We are just going for the main goal of staying up this season.

“I don’t think anyone inside or outside of football would have thought Livingston would be where we are today. It is just a credit to the management and the staff and all the hard work we are putting in.

“We’ve had a great start to the season and we just continued that against Rangers. I think we can keep it going. We got the win against Hibs and even the draw with Kilmarnock at the very start they are all massive games.

"Also this week against Motherwell (at Fir Park on Saturday) will be another big one and the boys will be right up for it.

"Every week we prepare the same. When we get results like we did against Rangers then it is just a reward for the hard work we put in during the week.”

Halkett continued: “It (what Gerrard said about his team being unable to score) is credit to our defence. Everyone says we enjoy defending all the way from Liam (goalkeeper Kelly) all the way to the front. It is good to hear comments like that.

“As a defender, you want the clean sheet first and foremost. If you do that and the strikers score then you are going to win games.”

Halkett scored the winner against the club he played for when he was a youth when they were both in the Championship - but he rated the weekend victory as bigger and better.

“I think it is," he said. "This is in the top flight. Being a Rangers fan myself you want to get results against them. It was a wee bit more special today.

“I got an earful after the game from my mum and dad, Peter and Caroline mind. Although they were in the Livi end and they will support me first before the team we grew up with. I think they were just delighted we managed to get the win.”

The victory extended Holt's unbeaten run as Livingston manager to five games and Halkett believes the former Kilmarnock and Scotland player deserves huge credit for how the team are performing.

“He is a very honest guy," he said. "He is honest with all the players and that is what all the players like about him. He is a straight-talking and all the boys know their jobs so we are all clear what we need to do collectively and individually.”