Livingston 1 -1 Greenock Morton

Saturday 22^nd October 2011 – Livingston FC 1-1 Greenock Morton FC

Greenock Morton were the next opponents to visit the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium on league duty. Allan Moore’s men had been on the end of back-to-back defeats against Partick Thistle and Hamilton respectively so were keen to bounce back with a win.

Gary Bollan handed Mark Fotheringham and Maurice Ross their home debuts with the latter replacing Kyle Jacobs at right back. Keaghan Jacobs also returned to the squad, taking a place on the bench after missing the last few weeks with an injury.

Livingston created the first opportunity of the match from a Fotheringham free kick. His low, in-swinging cross was flicked on by Iain Russell but Craig Barr couldn’t get the ball under control and could only watch as the ball ricocheted off him and out for a goal kick. Moments later, Morton launched an attack up the other end and were denied, what they thought, should have been a penalty. David O’Brien drove at Jason Talbot and as he cut in from the wing and into the box, he fell to the ground. Talbot had made a challenge for the ball but little, if not no contact appeared to be made and given the lack of support from his Morton team-mates, O’Brien was quick to get up and play-on, managing to somehow evade a caution for diving from referee Kevin Clancy.

O’Brien was involved in Morton’s next attack, and this time, he was to provide a more convincing outcome. Stefan Scougall was caught in possession in his own half, allowing Fouad Bachirou and Peter Weatherson to link up and play O’Brien in. This time, the forward only needed one touch as he rifled the ball off the underside of the bar and into Andy McNeil’s goal despite a last ditch effort to make a block from Craig Barr.

Despite falling a goal behind, the Lions reacted well and looked keen to quickly get back on level terms. Fotheringham had two chances from free-kicks in almost identical positions, the first of which was comfortably saved by Matthew McGinlay in the Morton goal, and the second which had a bit more bite in it and forced McGinlay to top round the post.

Despite not having any luck with these free kicks, a set piece was to see the Lions grab an equaliser and a route back into the game. A Morton attack was broken down by Ross who calmly passed the ball out of danger and sent Scougall on his way. The young midfielder played a one-two with Iain Russell before lofting an excellent pass in behind the Morton back-line into the path of Marc McNulty. With his defence all but beaten, McGinlay made the decision to race from his line but he didn’t reach the ball quick enough and instead, sent McNulty through the air. A penalty was awarded but the referee didn’t deem the chance to be a clear goal scoring opportunity and only booked the ‘keeper. Iain Russell collected the ball and made no mistake, despatching the ball into the bottom right hand corner to take his tally to ten in all competitions this season.

In the same way that Livi reacted after Morton’s goal, the side from Greenock pressed from kick-off, looking to regain the lead. Andrew Graham’s dangerous cross into the box was flicked just beyond the post and out for a corner by Russell who’d came back to help out the defence. Graham, again, fired in a teasing cross, this time finding Bachirou but his first touch let him down and McNeil was quick to pounce and get the ball to safety.

Into the second-half and O’Brien really should have doubled his, and Morton’s tally for the day. A one-two with Weatherson sent him clean through on goal with only McNeil to beat but his shot was excellently saved by the big ‘keeper before Ross cleared the rebound.

Morton were really starting to get on top of the game with Paul Di Giacomo dictating a lot of the play in the middle of the park. The ex-Kilmarnock player was at the heart of Morton’s next attack, showing some great footwork to beat Scougall and Keaghan Jacobs before slipping the ball to Bachirou but the Frenchman fired wide of the post.

The Lions did start to edge back into the game and another Fotheringham free-kick was blocked, this time by the head of Grant Evans as the ball looked to be heading in the direction of the top-corner. Livi were then desperately unlucky not to take the lead. A long pass forward from Fotheringham found Jacobs on the right wing and he fired the ball into the box. Iain Russell got there first and flicked the ball back into the path of McNulty who took a touch before rolling the ball under the ‘keeper but not past Evans, who had wisely positioned himself on the line and knocked the ball clear. Scougall got on the end of the clearance though, crossing the ball back into the box where McNulty collected and had a shot at goal but his effort deflected to the edge of the area, teeing up Jacobs who’s left-foot shot beat the ‘keeper but clipped the outside of the post and out for a goal-kick.

This frantic spell of Livi pressure was nearly all undone as Ross’s pass-back looked to be too short, allowing substitute Archie Campbell in but McNeil came haring off his line and made a brilliant sliding tackle to prevent the Morton forward having a shot at goal.

With the clock ticking down, Morton had the last real chance of the game. Di Giacomo’s corner was headed goal wards and Campbell, who was positioned right in front of McNeil, flicked the ball just yards from goal but the Livi stopper reacted brilliantly to tip the ball off the line.

A hard-fought point for the Lions who recorded their seventh draw in ten league matches this season.

Ayr United 0-0 Livingston

Saturday 15^th October 2011 – Ayr United FC 0-0 Livingston FC

It was back to league business for the Lions after the disappointment of losing out to Hamilton at the semi-final stage of the Ramsdens Cup.

In the 6 days between the games, Gary Bollan had added two new faces to the squad in the shape of Mark Fotheringham and Maurice Ross. Ross wasn’t fit for this one but Fotheringham was one of two changes to the starting select, coming into the midfield in place of David Sinclair with Marc McNulty starting upfront ahead of Kenny Deuchar.

This, the battle of the promoted teams, begun in similar fashion to the Hamilton game with both teams creating chances in an early end-to-end encounter. Ayr’s first chance came after Michael McGowan’s cross found it’s way across the box to Jonathon Tiffoney but the defender lashed his shot high and wide of Andy McNeil’s goal. Bobby Barr was causing trouble down the other end, gliding past Tiffoney on the left wing and when his cross was only cleared as far as Fotheringham, the new-boy fired a 25 yard shot goal wards but could only come as close as clipping the cross bar.

A quick free kick from Andy Geggan presented Michael Moffat with another chance for Ayr but the striker was quickly closed down by Jason Talbot and didn’t get good contact on his shot, which was easily saved by McNeil. Barr instigated another Livi chance with a quick free kick of his own, laying the ball to McNulty but his fierce shot deflected off Chris Smith and wide for a corner.

Bobby Barr was now becoming central to all Livi attacks and was again involved as the Lions went close. After picking the ball up in his own half, Barr skipped past three Ayr players before firing a low cross into the box which defender John Robertson cleared over his own crossbar despite not really knowing too much about it. A high ball forward from Talbot was misjudged by Ayr ‘keeper Kevin Cuthbert, allowing Barr to nick the ball round him but he couldn’t stop it from running out for a goal kick.

Despite this Livi pressure, Ayr were still getting forward too and on the stroke of half-time, Tiffoney again went close, this time showing great close control in the box before firing just wide.

Into the second-half and the end-to-end feel of this game continued, although both teams looked to be lacking that killer touch in front of goal. James McKernon and Mark Roberts combined well to send Tiffoney down the right but his teasing cross into the box was headed clear by Paul Watson. This sent Bobby Barr on an attack, outpacing Eddie Malone on the wing, but his cross wasn’t latched onto by either of the Livi front pair, despite Robertson’s slip in the box.

The impressive Fotheringham was next to press on for Livi, but after collecting McKernon’s misplaced pass, he didn’t connect properly with his shot and it trundled through to Cuthbert. Soon after, Liam Fox’s cross-field pass was collected by Bobby Barr and he picked McNulty out at the back-post but the youngster couldn’t react quick enough to control the ball and it ran through his legs and was cleared to safety. Stefan Scougall tried his luck next but after being teed up by Barr, his rasping, long-range effort was just off target.

It did look like Livi would break the deadlock and had it not been for some quick reactions from Cuthbert, Barr almost did. A low, bouncing cross from Talbot was miscontrolled by Chris Smith and Bobby Barr picked up possession, spun his man on the edge of the box and had a shot at goal. Cuthbert only got a hand to it and the ball spun behind him, heading for goal, but he managed to react quickest to pounce on it before any Livi player could convert.

A great bit of one-touch passing play from Livi created the next chance but Fox snatched at his shot and sent it wide.

After seeing Livingston spurn chance after chance, Ayr were next to come close to opening the scoring but the woodwork denied them. A deep cross from Roberts found McGowan at the back-post but his looping header bounced off the crossbar and over. Minutes later, from an almost identical position, substitute Gareth Wardlaw headed wide from an Alan Trouten cross after beating Kyle Jacobs in the air.

Before Ayr’s next attack, Fotheringham tried his luck with another long-range effort but Cuthbert easily saved. A corner up the other end gave Roberts a chance but the veteran forward put his shot over the bar.

Scougall watched another effort fizzle wide of the post before the match ended on a bit of a sour note. A high punt forward from McNeil sent Rory Boulding and Chris Smith on a chase to win the ball but as Boulding challenged, he inadvertently barged Smith into the on-coming keeper, with Smith taking the full impact of Cuthbert’s knee in the face. The game was stopped as Smith received treatment but to everyone’s relief, he stood himself up before climbing on the stretcher to leave the park. It was later revealed he’d picked up a concussion and a few stitches in his mouth for his troubles but no serious injury was caused.

Another draw it was, moving the Lions up one place in the table and completing the first round of fixtures against each team with only one defeat inflicted.

Hamilton Accies 1-0 Livingston

Sunday 9^th October 2011 – Hamilton Academical FC 1-0 Livingston FC

After picking four points from a possible six in back-to-back home league matches, it was time for the Lions to battle for their place in the final of the Ramsdens Cup with a trip to New Douglas Park to take on Billy Reid’s Hamilton Accies side.

Gary Bollan made one change to the side that drew with Raith Rovers, bringing in David Sinclair for Johnny Brown. That meant Kyle Jacobs dropped to right back with Sinclair taking his place in the middle of the park.

The game started fairly evenly with both teams mustering up chances in the early stages. A Dougie Imrie cross fell at the feet of Ali Crawford but he shot wide of Andy McNeil’s goal. Up the other end, a Sinclair free-kick was headed goal wards by Craig Barr but the ball was blocked on the line before Paul Watson’s deflected shot whistled wide for a Livi corner.

In what was proving to be quite an end-to-end match, Imrie then tested McNeil with a well worked chance but the stopper got down well to make the save. Stefan Scougall created a great opportunity for himself in the Hamilton half, latching onto a Kenny Deuchar flick-on, taking the ball past three Accies but could only shoot straight at Tomas Cerny who was quick to get off his line and close the angle.

Cerny was again quick to get off his line as Livi created the next chance, but this time, he was nearly caught out. A high ball forward from Watson was misjudged by Hamilton defender Martin Canning, allowing Iain Russell in behind him, but after chipping the ball over the on-coming Cerny, Mark McLaughlin slid in to block the ball from going in. From the resulting corner, Livi had a shout for a penalty turned down. The short corner was whipped in by Scougall and as Kenny Deuchar flicked the ball goal wards, Simon Mensing appeared to block it with his hand. Referee Charlie Richmond didn’t agree though and play continued.

Hamilton soon began to create more opportunities and twice went close with low shots at goal. Ziggy Gordon done well to hold off the challenge off Craig Barr to shoot at goal but McNeill got down well to make the save. Moments later, Gordon came close again, this time cutting in from the right but his shot was pushed wide for a corner. From that corner, Hamilton found themselves in front. A deep cross to the back post was headed into the middle by Canning and there was free-scoring defender Mark McLaughlin to nod the ball past McNeil and give the Accies the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Before the referee could blow for half time though, the Lions pressed on, desperate to find an equaliser before the break. Liam Fox rifled a 25-yard effort just wide of the post and Iain Russell then broke clear from a Fox header but he could only drive his shot straight at Cerny who saved well.

Into the second-half and, if anything, Hamilton were looking more likely to grab a second goal. An Imrie corner was eventually cleared, only as far as Crawford but he fired his shot straight at Fox and out for another corner. This time, Sinclair cleared the corner high up the park, setting Russell and Bobby Barr away 2 on 1 against Stephen Hendrie but after Russell nodded the ball into Barr’s path, Hendrie done superbly to make the tackle and see the ball to safety.

Livingston were gradually working themselves into the game and Russell came closest to grabbing an equaliser. Sinclair’s cross was nodded on by Craig Barr and after taking a touch to control the ball, Russell fired a shot at goal, beating Cerny but not the woodwork and the ball crashed off the post and behind for a goal-kick. Shortly after, a long ball down the left wing from Talbot sent Russell through, and again, he tried to beat the Czech ‘keeper at his front-post but this time Cerny saved.

Hamilton were still looking to kill the game off and really should have done late on in the second-half. Imrie made a lung-bursting run forward and after evading the challenge of Bobby Barr, he found himself with just McNeil to beat. However, just as he appeared to be pulling the trigger, Paul Watson appeared from no-where, lunging in and sending the ball out for a corner, preventing an almost certain goal.

After that miss, Imrie’s heart would have been in his mouth as Livi’s next chance looked like sending the game into extra-time. Substitute Ross Docherty fired a highball forward, which caught the whole Hamilton back-line off-guard, sending Iain Russell through one-on-one with Cerny. As the ‘keeper came rushing off his line, Russell dinked the ball over his head but to his, and everyone else’s dismay, the ball landed on the roof of the net. It was a horrible moment for the Lions who knew that, with the clock ticking down, that was likely to be their last chance to square the game.

Down the other end, Imrie had time to fire two late chances over the bar as a tired Livi side tried to battle forward but it wasn’t to be and the Lions crashed out of the Ramsdens Cup at the penultimate stage.

Livingston 1-1 Raith Rovers

Saturday 1^st October 2011 – Livingston FC 1-1 Raith Rovers FC

After the injury-time win against Partick Thistle, Gary Bollan welcomed Raith Rovers to the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium for our second home fixture in a row.

After serving his suspension against Partick following his red-card in Dingwall, Paul Watson was drafted back into the starting team with Ross Docherty dropping out.

Raith started the match brightly and had the first chance of the game. Craig Barr’s clearance from William Dyer’s cross only went as far as Grant Murray but his long-range effort was easily held by McNeill.

After only 18 minutes, a familiar site to Livi fans was to occur again as Raith were reduced to ten men. Dougie Hill miscontrolled a ball forward from Johnny Brown and as he stretched to claim the ball back, he fouled Kyle Jacobs. Referee Willie Collum deemed the tackle to be worthy of a red-card and sent the defender off.

This didn’t seem to hamper the flow of play and Raith continued to dominate. Ex-Livi midfielder Joe Hamill was causing a lot of trouble in the middle of the park and was unlucky to see his 18-yard effort deflect wide for a corner after some good footwork on the edge of the area. His next effort was even closer, this time shooting just over the bar from 25 yards after a good knock down from John Baird.

Livi’s first real chance of note came late in the first-half. A high ball forward from Jason Talbot was headed down by Craig Barr but Kyle Jacobs didn’t connect well enough with his effort and could only watch as his shot flew wide of the post. This proved to be the last chance of a rather uneventful, red-card aside, first-half but Bollan would have been determined to see his players make the most of yet another one man advantage.

Hamill, again, was first to have a shot at goal in the second-half, collecting Liam Fox’s slack pass but his tame shot was gathered by McNeill. Fox nearly made amends for that misplaced pass as he himself had a crack at goal. Some good link-up play between Deuchar and Russell seen the latter chest the ball into Fox’s path but his shot was beaten away by David McGurn in the Raith goal. From the resultant corner, the Lions really should have taken the lead. Bobby Barr’s cross found Craig Barr unmarked at the back-post but the big defender headed over when he really should have hit the target.

It looked as this stage as if Livi were really starting to take a hold of the game as another shot, this time from Iain Russell, was palmed over the bar by McGurn. This time, the resulting corner found Paul Watson unmarked in the box but McGurn dived well to his left to push away the downward header and prevent the goal.

Within minutes of each other, Jason Talbot and Liam Fox both sent Bobby Barr and Iain Russell free down the left but neither could take their chances with Barr firing straight at the ‘keeper and Russell trying to play in Scougall but over hitting his pass.

As so often proves to be the case in football though, if you don’t take your chances, they come back to haunt you. Completely against the run of play, Raith grabbed the lead. Some brilliant football seen Reece Donaldson find Allan Walker at the back-post and he headed the ball down to Brain Graham and he made no mistake, flicking the ball past the outstretched arm of McNeil.

In a bid to make sure we got something out of the game, Bollan threw on Marc McNulty in place of the tiring Deuchar, a decision which was to prove spot on from the manager. Some determined fighting on the edge of the Raith 18-yard box from, believe it or not, centre-back pairing Barr and Watson, seen the ball loop into the air. Stefan Scougall threw himself into the ball which resultantly broke to Russell, who’s tame effort goalwards deflected into the path of McNulty and the prolific youngster smashed the ball into the ground, over McGurn and in off the bar.

The equaliser spurned Livi back into the game and Craig Barr had another chance to grab his first-goal of the season. Fox’s corner from the left found him in the middle of the 6 yard box but McGurn again made a terrific block on the line to stop the goal. Bobby Barr was then unlucky with a 25 yard drive which fizzled just wide but had McGurn scrambling.

However, despite this pressure, Raith really should have taken the lead with only minutes to go. Fox slipped in the middle of the park while in possession and gifted the ball to Walker. He broke forward playing the ball into Graham but Watson, Jacobs and Talbot all recovered well to get back and stop the attack.

The last chance of the game fell to Kyle Jacobs. Fox rolled the ball into him all of 40 yards from goal and he didn’t think twice before lashing the ball goal wards but another 90^th minute winner wasn’t to be as his effort flew high of McGurn’s goal.