Hibernian strike pair Garry O'Connor and Derek Riordan secured three deserved points for Tony Mowbray's side at Livingston.

O'Connor marked his new deal with the Easter Road club with his eighth league goal of the season in the 53rd minute.

Then Riordan celebrated being his Bank of Scotland Young Player of the Month award with a close-range finish in the 74th minute to take his SPL tally for the season to 12.

But, as Hibs continue their charge towards European qualification, Rangers legend Richard Gough faces a tough task to turn Livi around at the foot of the table.

Since beating Dundee in December, the West Lothian club have not won an SPL game and are right in the thick of the relegation battle.

Jason Dair's 20-yard drive which went just past the post was workmanlike Livingston's best effort in front of a 6,788 crowd which was swelled by hundreds of Hibs fans.

Recalled Hibs midfielder Steven Fletcher was on the end of a hopeful punt in the second minute but he could only direct his header at Colin Meldrum in the Livi goal.

Then a mis-kick from Ryan Harding let O'Connor in down the left and, from his cross, Hibs debutant Antonio Murray blasted over wildly from the edge of the box.

Fletcher played a beautiful ball with the outside of his left foot to O'Connor, who was flagged offside.

Livi woke up after 15 minutes and, after a corner was cleared by Gary Smith, Dair fired just wide of Simon Brown's goal.

Hibs immediately broke up the field and a fortunate deflection saw the ball rebound to O'Connor who rounded Meldrum but then watched his shot cleared off the line by Harding.

From the resulting corner, Murray chipped the ball back into the box only for Fletcher to mis-hit his volley from six yards out.

Fletcher was again denied on 26 when his looping header was hooked clear by Stuart Lovell.

Livi's second chance of the game came on the half-hour mark when Murray was robbed on the edge of his box and Burton O'Brien forced Simon Brown into an acrobatic save.

Fletcher kept getting into goalscoring positions but was failing to finish the job.

Another arrived on 32 when he seized on a slice by Emmanuel Dorado and lobbed the ball over Meldrum but also over the bar.

Murray struck a sweet volley on 44 straight at Meldrum to frustrate the visitors once more in a half they dominated.

The start of the second half was delayed when referee Mike McCurry failed to appear after the interval, presumably due to injury, as fourth official David Somers took over.

It did not disrupt Hibs though and finally their dominance paid when O'Connor netted on 53.

After being played in by Steven Whittaker, the burly striker fended off Harding and placed the ball past Meldrum and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

The visitors were forced into a change two minutes later when Alen Orman limped off to be replaced by Guillaume Beuzelin in a move which saw Dean Shiels move from centre-midfield out to the right.

Gough made a switch of his own when he hauled off Harding after the young defender had been given a torrid match and brought on new-boy Attila Kriston, who went into midfield as Gus Bahoken moved to centre-half.

James McPake was then replaced by another Hungarian, Ferenc Horvath, as Livi sought to get a foothold back in the game.

The moves certainly livened lacklustre Livi up, and from O'Brien's left-wing cross Jamie Hand side-footed just wide on 63.

Then, in the 74th minute, the visitors made the points safe when O'Connor picked up a loose ball in the right-hand side of the penalty box, fired in a low shot, which Meldrum could only parry and there was Riordan to tap the ball home from four yards out.

Hibs cruised the rest of the game to strengthen their grip on third place in the SPL and leave Livi in a relegation dogfight.

Teams:

Livingston: Meldrum, McNamee, Harding (Kriston 59), Dorado, Bahoken, Hand (Snodgrass 80), Lovell, O'Brien, Dair, Hamilton, McPake (Horvath 63).

Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Vincze, Easton, Brittain.

Booked: McNamee.

Hibernian: Simon Brown, Whittaker, Caldwell, Smith, Glass, Orman (Beuzelin 57), Antonio Murray, Shiels (McCluskey 90), Riordan, O'Connor (Morrow 83), Fletcher.

Subs Not Used: Alistair Brown, McDonald, Murdock, Shields.

Goals: O'Connor 53, Riordan 74.

Att: 6,788

Ref: M McCurry (Scotland).