Livingston 2-2 Queen of the South

Saturday 21^st January 2012 – Livingston FC 2-2 Queen of the South FC

Queen of the South were the next visitors to the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium and following on from the previous weeks 3-0 loss at Dens Park, the Lions were keen to record their first victory of 2012.

Gary Bollan made three changes to his side with the fit again Jason Talbot joining Marc McNulty and David Sinclair in the starting line-up at the expense of Kyle Jacobs, Kenny Deuchar and the suspended Mark Fotheringham.

Much the same as the week before, the Lions found themselves a goal down in the early stages having only mustered one half chance in the first quarter of an hour themselves. Keaghan Jacobs slack pass put pressure on Sinclair and Fox and they were quickly dispossessed by Scott McLaughlin. He found Daniel Carmichael out wide and the winger drilled a low shot which Andy McNeill could only parry, allowing Tom Brighton the easiest finish of his career as he walked the ball over the line from two yards out. 

This seemed to spark the home side into life and they quickly began to attack the Queens backline. Iain Russell fed a ball through to Bobby Barr and he ran at his marker before knocking the ball across goal for McNulty but McLaughlin slid in first to put the ball behind for a corner.

The next Livi attack did provide an equaliser though and how apt it was coming from captain Liam Fox. Russell’s flick on the edge of the area found McNulty but the youngster was forced wide by his marker. Showing great determination though, he kept the ball under control and managed to pull the ball back into the danger area where Fox, already celebrating becoming Livingston’s record appearance holder, was on hand to slam the ball beyond Lee Robinson in the Queens goal.

It was a run and finish we’ve so often come to expect from Fox, arriving late into the penalty box and unleashing a rocket into the net. This goal meant the Lions went up the tunnel for half time with a new belief that they could go on to dominate the match.

When the teams re-emerged, this proved to be the case and the Queens defence were quickly under pressure. Maurice Ross found Iain Russell down the left and after checking inside, he curled an effort goal wards but Robinson saved well. Fox and McNulty then linked up well with the latter beating his man down the wing and again, pulling the ball back into the box for Fox but this time the skipper teed up Jacobs who’s shot deflected off Craig Reid and wide for a corner.

Iain Russell was then left irate by referee David Somers after being cynically chopped down when through on goal. A big goal kick from McNeill was flicked on by McNulty and as Russell knocked the ball past Reid, he was sent tumbling to the deck but Somers didn’t deem the chance a clear goal-scoring opportunity and only booked the defender.

It was a real case of one-way traffic now and Maurice Ross was next to test Robinson. A deep cross into the box from Jason Talbot was flicked on by McNulty and Ross fired a powerful strike at goal, which was parried back to him, but he sent his second effort wide of the target.

Despite being on the end of this onslaught, Queens arguably created the best chance of the second-half. Carmichael collected the loose ball and thread a pass through to Gavin Reilly but despite being under no pressure, he shot straight at McNeill from 12 yards out.

That lapse in concentration was quickly forgotten though as the Lions went up the park and took the lead. David Sinclair caught the Queens defence napping and whilst shaping up to cross a free kick, he rolled it to the edge of the box for Bobby Barr. His shot was deflected but fell into the path of Stefan Scougall and the substitute made no mistake in rifling his shot into the goal.   

With only 15 minutes to go at this point, the Livi faithful would have been forgiven for thinking their side would go on and close out the game. That wasn’t to be the case as Somers again made a call that would anger the home side. Ryan Smilie’s ball over the top sent Reilly on a race against Craig Barr and with the Queens forward looking likely to outpace Barr, the slightest of nudges sent him tumbling to the ground. The push looked to have occurred outside the box, with the momentum carrying Reilly into the box but Somers awarded the penalty. Central defender Ryan McGuffie stood up and sent McNeill the wrong way, burying his shot in the bottom corner.

Livingston quickly set about trying to regain the lead and Russell really should have taken care of that. Scougall broke free down the left and picked out an unmarked Russell in the middle of the box and although having time to steady himself, he opted to shoot first time but Robinson got down well to tip his effort round the post. From the resultant corner, Paul Watson’s header was cleared off the line by Allan Johnston and after that lead to a bit of a stramash in the area, the ball finally fell to Deuchar who shot straight at Robinson.

Russell was involved again as Queens were reduced to ten men. After intercepting Reid’s pass, Russell tried to drive past him but was upended by the defender and having already been booked in the first-half, he received his marching orders.

As the game drew to a close, both teams had excellent chances to nick a winner. Some good play from Nicky Clark seen him feed in Smillie but after getting past Watson and creating a shooting opportunity, he blazed his effort high over McNeill’s goal. Up the other end, some good build up play from Talbot, Sinclair and Ross eventually resulted in Jacobs firing a cross into the box but despite finding space for a shot, Craig Barr sent his shot over the bar and confirmed that the spoils would be shared between the sides.

Away Day Review - Dens Park, Dundee FC.

In the first of our new away day review, a trip to Dens Park was calling. I heard a rumour en route that we’d be charged £19 to get in – much to my dismay, that wasn’t a rumour at all. The one (!) turnstile that was open would have been a struggle to negotiate for anyone carrying some leftover ‘festive plumpness’.

After being robbed by the cheery gent on the gate, I made a dash for my usual pie and hot drink before heading for my seat. The pie was OK – the pastry was edible but there wasn’t a great deal of meat inside. It certainly won’t be the worst pie I’ll have this season but it did take a good drizzling of brown sauce to save it. My drink of choice this week was a hot chocolate. Well I say hot chocolate, what I was served appeared to be more of a scalding, muddy puddle in a cup.

Into the stand and that feeling of robbery from earlier was further emphasised with a quick glance at where we’d be housed. If you can imagine paying to go to on an all inclusive holiday to Puerto Rico and actually arriving in Portobello then you’ll maybe understand how the travelling faithful felt right now. I took my seat in what appeared to be a shed in the corner of Dens Park, only to be greeted with two great big pillars that I instantly recognised would block my view at times regardless of where in this area I sat. A real shame given the lovely, shiny, empty stand behind the goals which would have helped to, very slightly, recoup some feeling of value for funny.

The one positive of being housed in the shed was the bit of atmosphere it helped to create for the away fans. The hardy bunch of singers and shouters were helped by a wooden floor to stamp on and create some decent noise. Unfortunately the game itself didn’t throw up many opportunities to fully test this but a good effort was given all the same. I’d imagine with a bigger away support and a goal to cheer, the atmosphere would have increased tenfold.

Overall, I don’t think Dens Park will be up near the top come the time we’ve reviewed every ground. An expensive entry fee for a poor view, only the one gate open meaning our notoriously small travelling support still had to queue for the best part of ten minutes to get in and not the greatest of food and drink from the servery. The only saving grace for me, was the potential for a great atmosphere given a better outcome of score line.

Access – 3/10
Admission – 2/10
Pie and Drink – 5/10.
Stadium/View – 4/10
Atmosphere – 7/10

Overall – 21/50

First published in 'ROAR' - Livingston FC Matchday Magazine on Saturday 21st January 2012.

Dundee 3-0 Livingston

Saturday 14^th January 2012 – Dundee FC 3-0 Livingston FC

With 2012 having begun with back-to-back home defeats, the Lions were keen to turn their fortunes around with a trip to Dens Park.

There were three changes to the side that crashed out of the Scottish Cup with Callum Fordyce, Stefan Scougall and Marc McNulty making way for Maurice Ross, Liam Fox and Kenny Deuchar.

Despite an early half chance for Iain Russell, Dundee started the game the brighter of the two sides and only needed 19 minutes to break the deadlock. A fantastic passing move, which seen every Dundee player touch the ball, resulted in Gavin Rae feeding the ball wide to Ryan Conroy who drilled a low, left-footed strike beyond Andy McNeill.

Livi quickly went in search of an equaliser but two long range efforts from Liam Fox both had the same outcome with ex-Lion Rab Douglas doing well to save and hold both shots. 

Dundee weren’t looking like sitting back on their one goal advantage and they too looked to increase their lead. Stevie Milne was given too much time after picking the ball up in Livi’s half and he let loose with a thunderous strike that McNeill excellently tipped wide of the post. Moments later, Conroy tried to beat McNeill with a 20-yard free kick but again, the stopper parried the ball away at full stretch.

Into the second half and the away side looked to have settled into the game more and were beginning to create some good opportunities. A goal kick from McNeill was flicked on by Deuchar and showing some great awareness, Liam Fox attempted to loft the ball over Douglas from just outside the area but the big ‘keeper was able to get back just in time to flick the attempt over the bar.

Kenny Deuchar then should have put the Lions back on level terms. A superb through ball from Kyle Jacobs sent Bobby Barr in behind the Dundee defence and after driving in from the wing, he pulled the ball back to the six-yard line but Deuchar could only look on in dismay as his shot sailed high, over the crossbar.

It proved to be a costly miss as with Dundee’s next attack, their lead was doubled. Conroy’s free-kick from the right was glanced on by Craig McKeown and despite not knowing much about it, Neil McGregor chested the ball beyond McNeill and into the net. It was a goal that looked unlikely, with Livi having dominated but is was welcomed by the home fans and all but sealed the game.

Iain Russell had another half chance to try and claw Livi back into the game but his tame shot from Keaghan Jacobs pass was easily saved by Douglas. This was to be our last chance of any significance and after Mark Fotheringham was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Gavin Rae, Dundee went on to wrap up the points with a third. McNeill made a good save to push Jake Hyde’s header over the bar, but from the resultant corner, Stephen O’Donnell found Nicky Riley at the front post and he headed the ball into the top corner.

Maurice Ross had a late chance to grab a consolation but again, Douglas was equal to his tame effort on what was ultimately a bad day at the office for the Lions.

Livingston 1-2 Ayr United - Scottish Cup 4th Round

Saturday 7^th January 2012 – Livingston FC 1-2 Ayr United FC

With the disappointment of the loss to Falkirk still lingering, the Lions looked to make amends as Ayr United visited the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium in the William Hill Scottish Cup 4^th round.

Kenny Deuchar and Maurice Ross both missed out having picked up injuries in the Falkirk game and were replaced by Iain Russell and Callum Fordyce respectively. Captain Liam Fox had to make do with a place amongst the substitutes with Stefan Scougall starting in the midfield ahead of him.

Russell, who was starting his first match since October, was involved from the off and so nearly had an assist to his name within 5 minutes. A slip in the Ayr back-line allowed him to get in behind and one-on-one with Kevin Cuthbert but rather than pulling the trigger himself, he elected to square the ball to Marc McNulty but the inform youngster could only dink his effort wide of the goal.

It was the first in a number of early chances for the home side with Paul Watson next to come close as his header from Mark Fotheringham’s corner was well saved by Cuthbert. Cuthbert was called into action again as he this time thwarted McNulty who had managed to work some space to shoot at goal from 10 yards. Another corner caused trouble in the Ayr box when Bobby Barr’s cross to he back post was headed goal wards by Watson but Chris Smith cleared off the line.

As so often proves to be the case in football though, when you don’t take your chances, it comes back to haunt you and that was certainly the case here. As Ayr started to settle and get involved in the game, Livingston found themselves under a bit of pressure and McNeil had to be alert to tip two crosses away as they looped towards the back post. It was however, to be another cross into the box that lead to Ayr opening the scoring. Some good link up play between Alan Trouten and Mark Roberts resulted in the latter whipping the ball into the middle and after Tam McManus headed the ball back across goal, Andy Geggan was there to tap in on the line.

It was a cruel blow to the Lions who showed some excellent character to bounce back immediately. Another Fotheringham corner wasn’t dealt with by the Ayr defence and Iain Russell was able to poke the ball towards McNulty who slammed it into the net, grabbing his second goal in two games and in doing so, hauled the Lions back into the game.

The second half started in much the same fashion as the first, with the home side dominating early on. A good ball forward from Keaghan Jacobs eventually found it’s way to Russell but Cuthbert was on hand again to block his shot at goal.

Again, with Livi failing to turn possession and opportunities into goals, Ayr were still in the game and regained the lead thanks to a wonder goal from Michael McGowan. Substitute Jamie McKernan fed the ball wide to McGowan and after turning Fordyce inside out down the right wing; he took the ball to the by-line and smashed an unstoppable shot beyond McNeil.

The home side again tried to pick themselves up and search for a route back into the game and Russell thought he’d found one. After his own shot deflected off Smith and spun away in the box, he chased it down, looking to get another shot away. Just as he got there though, Cuthbert arrived at the same time and appeared to bundle Russell over without getting anything on the ball. Referee George Salmond disagreed though and waved play-on, later claiming he thought the ‘keeper nicked the ball away first.

Long range efforts from Fotheringham and Russell flew wide before Rory Boulding forced Cuthbert into a low save but it wasn’t to be for Livi as cup specialists Ayr progressed to the next round.

Livingston 1-2 Falkirk

Monday 2^nd January 2012 – Livingston FC 1-2 Falkirk FC

Having finished 2011 on a winning note, the Lions were hoping to start 2012 in a similar fashion with a victory against nearby neighbours, Falkirk.

An injury to fullback Jason Talbot forced Gary Bollan into making one change. Having decided to go with two upfront, Marc McNulty came back in to partner Kenny Deuchar and Kyle Jacobs reverted to left back as the Lions shaped up in a 4-4-2 formation.

Livi started the brighter of the two sides and very nearly took an early lead through Bobby Barr. Mark Fotheringham’s corner was only cleared to the edge of the box where Barr was waiting to drill a low shot goal wards but Bairns ‘keeper Michael McGovern got down well to parry the ball clear.

Andy McNeil was called into action up the other end shortly after. Maurice Ross’ poor pass was intercepted in the middle of the park and Kallum Higginbotham fired a shot at goal from 35 yards but McNeil was able to make the save before Craig Barr cleared the danger.

More poor passing gifted Falkirk another chance at goal, and this time, they took it. Liam Fox and Keaghan Jacobs were both guilty of giving the ball away and when David Weatherston gained possession, he drove into the box before dinking the ball to the back post where Farid El Alagui was on hand to nod home.

It was a very poor goal to lose but as the Lions looked to grab a quick equaliser, the Bairns could have easily been reduced to ten men. Some good hassling from McNulty forced Jay Fulton into an error and as Kenny Deuchar looked to capitalise, Falkirk captain Darren Dods lunged in and brought the big striker down. It was a poor tackle – one that infact forced Deuchar to come off injured. The referee didn’t see it that way and only yellow-carded Dods.

The second half only a few minutes old when substitute Iain Russell was handed a brilliant opportunity to level the game. Some good link-up play between McNulty and Fotheringham seen Barr drive down the right and whip a fantastic ball into the box for Russell but the club’s top goalscorer could only head the ball narrowly wide.

The away side could have doubled their lead when Weatherston found himself one-on-one with McNeil but the ‘keeper made a brilliant save to keep the deficit to one.

Livi continued to press for a way back into the game and with the next attack they got one. Callum Fordyce, who replaced the injured Maurice Ross, played a one-two with Russell and curled a cross into the box where Marc McNulty was able to get the better of Dods before poking the ball beyond McGovern.

The home fans would have expected the Lions to go and push to win the game but if anything, Falkirk looked like the team with more fight. El Alagui headed over from Tom Scobbie’s cross shortly before Dods spurned a chance from a corner.

A foul by Craig Barr 20 yards out gave Higginbotham the chance to have a strike at goal. The midfielder drove his shot hard down the middle and with the help of two deflections, the ball spun beyond the helpless McNeill to regain Falkirk’s lead.

It was a cruel blow given the nature of the goal but one that Falkirk arguably deserved. The Lions couldn’t find an equaliser in the latter stages meaning the New Year began with defeat.

Hamilton 0-1 Livingston

Monday 26^th December 2011 – Hamilton Academical FC 0-1 Livingston FC

After picking up an important win against strugglers Raith Rovers, the Lions were on the road again, this time to play Hamilton for a fourth time already this season.

Gary Bollan decided to start with Kenny Deuchar upfront for this one with the big striker having impressed in the second half at Starks Park. Keaghan Jacobs was also restored to the starting line-up with David Sinclair having to settle for a place on the bench.

Hamilton started brightly and were unlucky not to take the lead early on. Dougie Imrie’s free kick was headed goal wards by Martin Canning but Simon Mensing couldn’t react quick enough and the ball flew wide. Up the other end, a slack pass from Canning was pounced upon by Mark Fotheringham, who in turn teed up Bobby Barr, but his 20-yard effort was well saved by Alan Combe.

Controversy then ensued as Deuchar had the ball in the net, only to be ruled offside. Keaghan Jacobs beat his man out wide before squaring the ball to Liam Fox who thumped a shot at goal and when Combe parried, Deuchar followed up to head in the rebound. As the away side celebrated, assistant referee Andy Tait raised his flag to signal the offside, much to the dismay of Deuchar.

That close call sparked Hamilton back to life and a poor clearance from Andy McNeil almost gifted the Accies a goal. After racing wide of his goal, his attempted clearance landed at the feet of Gary Fraser and with an open goal 35 yards in front, he tried to drill the ball home but luckily Craig Barr got himself in the way to make the block. As the ball ricocheted away, Dougie Imrie cracked a shot back at goal but Barr again threw himself in front of the ball to stop the danger. Bobby Barr then put Jason Talbot in trouble with a poor pass back and after Jim McAllister dispossessed him, the defender crossed for Ali Crawford but his glancing header was palmed away by McNeil.

The last chance of the half fell for Livi though with Deuchar again coming close. Fotheringham’s ball wide found Bobby Barr and a brilliant ball in from the winger found Deuchar who beat his marker to head the ball towards the corner but Combe done well to get a hand on it and push it wide.

Ex-Livi striker Gordon Smith, who was on-loan to Hamilton from Hearts, should have opened the scoring just after half time. A mix-up between Kyle Jacobs and Maurice Ross allowed Fraser to dink the ball over the defence for Greig Spence and after he beat his man, he squared the ball to the back-post but Smith could only stab the ball off the post at full stretch.

This miss would prove to be costly though as the Lions took the lead. Maurice Ross’ deep cross into the box was controlled by substitute Marc McNulty and knocked wide to Bobby Barr. He only had one thought on his mind and after driving at his marker, he let fly with an unstoppable strike that flew into Combe’s top corner. It was a big goal for Livi who had been under a good spell of Hamilton pressure.

The Accies knew they’d have to react quickly if they were to get anything from the game and they went on to dominate the latter stages. A terrific ball into the box from Imrie found Smith unmarked six yards out but he somehow managed to head over. The Livi defence managed to soak up the remaining pressure and ensured the three points headed back to Livingston.

Another Year Bites the Dust

2011 – The Review

With 2010 ending in a shock Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Elgin and a hard-fought 2-2 draw away to Alloa, a trip North offered the Lions a chance to start the year with a win against a Peterhead side who had only managed one victory in their previous seven outings. However, a Ryan Strachan double and a strike from David Ross ensured our first match of 2011 started in horrific fashion.

This defeat sparked Gary Bollan into the signing of frontman Kenny Deuchar and he became an instant hit with the Livi faithful, grabbing a hat-trick away to East Fife only hours after putting pen to paper as we ran out 4-2 winners at New Bayview.

Five consecutive wins followed, the most notable of which coming at Somerset Park as goals from Deuchar, Bobby Barr and Liam Fox secured an emphatic win against promotion rivals Ayr United. A cold, midweek match away to Brechin ended this run however, as a Craig Molloy goal earned another title hopeful a valuable three points in the race for the Championship. This defeat proved to be our last in Division Two though as Bollan's boys went on to pick up 36 points from the remaining 42 that were on offer.

A 5-1 victory over Peterhead followed by a 0-0 draw with Brechin set up the chance to clinch the league title with a win away to Stenhousemuir in early April. The midfield trio of Fox, David Sinclair and Kyle Jacobs produced the goods to seal our second consecutive league trophy and book our place back in the second tier of Scottish football. With other teams still vying for the play-off places, Bollan stayed true to his word, playing his strongest select possible in the remaining five matches – knocking in 11 goals in the process.

A 3-1 win at Recreation Park on the last day of the season saw Joe Hamill and Raffaele De Vita make their final appearances for the club as they joined Aaron Conway, David Cowan, Neil Hastings, Chris Malone, Craig McDowall, Mick O'Byrne, Robbie Winters and Devon Jacobs in leaving for pastures new.

An unusual 'drama-free' close season came and passed as Bollan strengthened his squad with the additions of Johnny Brown, Rory Boulding and Andy McNeil. Emphatic first round cup victories, in which we notched 11 goals, seen us progress to round two of the Scottish Communities League Cup and the Ramsdens Challenge Cup before playing host to Queen of the South in our opening league match of the 2011/2012 season.

This game would prove to be a good indicator of what would lie ahead for the Lions as our undefeated home record was nearly lost. Queens raced into a 2-0 lead before half-time but a long range effort from Sinclair and a late Iain Russell penalty salvaged a point and gave the players an insight of what they’d be up against on the park in the first division. A 5-0 cup win against Stirling Albion came before Morton put an end to an 18 match unbeaten streak as we sunk to a 2-1 loss at Cappielow. A scintillating second half performance wasn’t enough to sneak a point and left the players wondering what they needed to do to seal a league win. Cue our old friends Dundee…

Having started sluggishly in the first two league games, Bollan sent his starting eleven out a few minutes before kick-off to carry out some sprints, hoping to get the players heart-rate up and have them racing out the traps when the referee started the game. What a decision that proved to be!

With less than 15 minutes on the clock, a 2-0 lead had the Livi support in dreamland. A Bobby Barr shot could only be parried by goalkeeper Rab Douglas and despite the best efforts of Craig McKewon to clear the rebound, Iain Russell was there first to side foot the ball into the empty net. 10 minutes later, Russell turned provider, this time sliding a brilliant through-ball into the path of Keaghan Jacobs who in turn, played in Kenny Deuchar and the big man nodded the ball home after Douglas saved his first shot. When Deuchar slid in a third goal on the hour mark, it looked like game over. However goals from Gary Irvine and Stephen O’Donnell sparked an unlikely comeback from the away side and as they desperately pressed for an equaliser, Livi caught them out. Making the most of some sloppy play Sinclair and Jacobs combined with the latter smashing home a fourth goal and sealing the win.

This win was followed up with three consecutive 1-1 draws in the league, two of which served up last-gap equalisers with mixed outcomes. A late Boulding goal away to nine-man Hamilton salvaged a point at New Douglas Park but a Mark Millar penalty a week later would snatch away three home points which seemed all but in the bag for the Lions.

Kyle Jacobs' wonder strike was enough to see off an impressive Partick side but a home draw with Raith Rovers and our Ramsdens Cup Semi-Final defeat against Hamilton saw Gary Bollan dip into the 'free agents' market, recruiting Mark Fotheringham and Maurice Ross on short-term deals. 'Fozzy', who has played every game since signing, instantly showed his class but couldn't turn these draws into wins as another two games produced only two points, 0-0 away to Ayr and 1-1 at home to Morton. Infact, it would take Fozzy getting on the score sheet himself before the Lions would seal a big three points from an away game in Dumfries. An early Marc McNulty strike sent us on our way before a blocked shot wasn't dealt with by the Queens defence and Fotheringham lashed the ball home.

This set us up nicely for a trip to play an in-form Falkirk side and it proved to be a game that will live long in the memory of those who made the short trip. An absolutely disastrous first half meant that Falkirk had cruised into a three goal lead as the teams disappeared for half-time. A tactical change from Bollan offered a sign that the Lions weren't going to lie down and they certainly didn't. A typical, mazy run from Bobby Barr ended with the winger firing past McGovern in the Falkirk goal. This was quickly followed up by a brilliant counter-attacking move which sent Keaghan Jacobs free in the Falkirk half and he let rip with a thunderbolt to reduce the deficit to just one. When Barr was fouled on the edge of the area with 15 minutes left, up stepped Fotheringham to curl a beauty of a free-kick beyond McGovern and send the away fans wild. As thoughts of an unthinkable winner were doing the rounds in the stand, it was to be heartbreak for Bollan and his troops as David Weatherston struck to win the match for the Bairns.

A real sickener for Livi but encouraging signs that the fight was there when needed and this carried on with a 1-0 home win over Hamilton a week later.

The Scottish Cup offered up a trip into the unknown with a trip to take on Irvine Meadow XI in round three. Any chances of an upset were quickly dashed though as a first half McNulty hat-trick was complimented by strikes from Boulding, Deuchar and Barr.

Following these wins, our 20 month long unbeaten home record came to an abrupt halt as Ross County scored three second-half goals at the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium to cement their place at the top of the tree. A dubious red-card for Boulding at 0-0 spoiled what had been, until then, an evenly contested match but the one man advantage was enough for County to ease to victory.

At time of print, game 46 of 2011 (vs Hamilton away on 26/12) hadn't yet been played meaning our last match of note was an impressive 1-0 win at Starks Park against Raith Rovers. A rare Craig Barr goal sealed the points in a game we dominated for large spells meaning as the year draws out, we're sitting in the middle of the pack in fifth place.

Our 45 competitive games in 2011 have produced a great record of 27 wins, 10 draws and only 8 defeats. In terms of goals, we've hit the net an impressive 101 times, only conceding on 42 occasions. These 101 goals have come courtesy of 17 different scorers with Iain Russell topping the charts with 25 goals to his name, followed by Kenny Deuchar with 16 and Bobby Barr, Raffaele De Vita and Marc McNulty all with 8 each.

A successful year for Livingston FC – a league title, a cup semi-final appearance and so far, some stability both on, and off the pitch. As we welcome Falkirk today in our opening match of 2012, I wouldn't mind finishing this year with the same achievements...