LIONS’ PRIDE IS RESTORED
IAIN COLLIN Livvy’s Highland misery is dispelled as Saints are sunk
GarY HOLT’S rampant Lions registered their seventh home win in a row to deepen St Mirren’s relegation worries in a match that was tinged with controversy.
Steven Lawless calmly slotted in his 11th goal — and sixth penalty — of the campaign but referee david Munro’s decision to point to the spot when Lyndon dykes tumbled in the box enraged the Buddies.
Their mood was not helped when dykes then went on to double Livvy’s lead 15 seconds into the second half as the Lions roared back from the bitter disappointment of their exit from the Scottish Cup on Saturday at the hands of Championship side Inverness Caley Thistle.
St Mirren, who fought back to draw with Motherwell in the cup at the weekend, proved their resilience by hauling themselves back into the game just four minutes later with Jon Obika’s strike. However, they could not find a leveller and lost for the first time in five outings.
after back-to-back trips to the Highlands within the space of three days, both resulting in defeats, Livvy were happy to be back on more familiar territory with a game at home, where their last defeat came against rangers back in November. and they proved just what a fortress the Tony Macaroni arena has become.
In freezing conditions and with piles of snow flanking the pitch, Livvy were almost caught cold with just a minute on the clock.
a long ball deceived the home rearguard and robby McCrorie, the on-loan rangers goalkeeper, almost dallied too long before nipping the ball off the toes of Obika.
The scare roused the home side and they quickly warmed to their task. Just moments later, a Jack McMillan cross almost picked out the lurking Scott robinson before being turned behind for a corner.
From the set-piece, Jon Guthrie’s header was heading for the net but was booted clear before crossing the line.
McMillan was again a threat from his right-back beat in the 13th minute, slinging an inviting cross into the danger area, where Ciaron Brown knocked it down for defensive partner Guthrie. However, the centre-half fired his shot high over the crossbar.
aaron Taylor-Sinclair did hit the target four minutes later from a free-kick 25 yards out but St Mirren No 1 Vaclav Hladky was equal to the low effort, even if he needed two attempts to hold on to the slithering ball.
The Buddies had looked neat and tidy when they enjoyed possession but struggled to create anything meaningful in the final third and, taking a leaf out of the Lions’ book, their first chance came from a set-piece.
Cammy MacPherson’s corner from the left picked out the run of Conor McCarthy but the defender’s header was claimed comfortably by McCrorie.
Then came the opener that incensed the Paisley outfit. Craig Sibbald’s tempting pass, chipped over the Buddies defence, picked out the ever-willing run of dykes, who checked his run, causing McCarthy to make contact with him from behind.
referee Munro ruled it was enough to award a penalty, a decision with which St Mirren vehemently disagreed.
Lawless has become Livvy’s go-to man from the spot this season and he showed just why with an inch-perfect conversion that sent Hladky the wrong way.
The visitors would have been keen to bottle the sense of injustice that burned from that controversial opener but their task was made doubly hard as they were posted missing from the restart.
Livvy’s influential skipper, Marvin Bartley, had succumbed to injury at the interval but his replacement, Keaghan Jacobs, made an instant impact.
The midfielder produced a superb threaded pass that sliced open the Buddies rearguard and dykes’ finish was impeccable.
Yet, any thoughts the West
Lothian outfit had of the points being already in the bag were dispelled as St Mirren pulled one back just four minutes later.
MacPherson pulled into no-man’s land between the home side’s defence and midfield and curled a pass beyond Brown for Obika to chase. The striker won the race for the ball and beat the advancing McCrorie with a calm, low finish.
On the hour mark, robinson could have ensured a more relaxing climax to the game but Hladky’s outstretched foot denied the forward as he sprinted through on goal from another defence-splitting through ball.
dykes then came within a whisker of sealing the three points. Sibbald provided the ammunition with a corner from the right but the striker’s header crashed back off the upright and away to safety.
St Mirren pushed hard for an equaliser as time ebbed away but Sam Foley’s shot was too straight at McCrorie.
McCarthy then had a header which was was deflected wide and Obika nodded another off target before MacPherson tried his luck with a drilled effort which was tipped over by McCrorie.
LIVINGSTON (4-2-3-1): McCrorie 7; McMillan 7 (Lawson 80), Brown 6, Guthrie 6, TaylorSinclair 6; Bartley 5 (Jacobs 46), Sibbald 6; Lawless 7, Pittman 6, Robinson 5 (Menga 73); Dykes 7. Subs not used: Schofield, Crawford, Souda, Lamie. Booked: None. ST MIRREN (4-2-3-1): Hladky 6; Hodson 6, McCarthy 6, Famewo 6, Waters 6; Foley 7, MacPherson 7; Morias 6 (McAllister 74), Jakubiak 7 (McGrath 79), Durmus 6 (Mullen 84); Obika 6. Subs not used: Lyness, Andreu, Cooke, Wallace. Booked: Morias. Man of the match: Steven Lawless. Referee: David Munro. Attendance: 1,263.
11 Steven Lawless’s spot kick strike took his tally of goals for Livingston to 11 this season following his free transfer in August from Partick Thistle