Livingston defender Ryan McGowan says Kilmarnock's victory over Dundee United last weekend was "bitterly disappointing" as their relegation from the Scottish Premiership was confirmed.
Marvin Bartley's side 10 points adrift at the bottom with only three games remaining of the season.
Livingston had kept alive their slender survival hopes when they ended their 33-game run without a victory by beating St Mirren 2-0 away last weekend.
However, McGowan says prior performances meant relegation was unavoidable.
"The situation that we found ourselves in, it has been coming for a while," McGowan said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"So, yeah, it's a kick in the stomach when you're watching the game and you see that Killie scored early doors, because you always want to have that feeling of 'it just gives you another week, you get a win, you never know'.
"But it was just bitterly disappointing. And when you reflect on the whole season, there's been so many moments and so many kicks in the teeth in terms of conceding late goals, being on the end of, you know, big, big calls, which can decide games, especially against teams in and around us.
"That is not an excuse. We have not performed to the level that we want to as players and that ultimately falls on us.
"But, at the same time, it's just bitterly disappointing to get relegated and we need to dust ourselves off and get ready for next season."
