Opening day leaves Livi propping bottom

Aug 7 2008 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

THE First Division league table doesn’t make pleasant reading for Livingston fans this week with the Lions propping up the rest at the bottom.

Livi’s new league campaign got underway in Perth but they returned to West Lothian on the wrong end of a 2-0 defeat against 10-man St Johnstone.

A 55th-minute strike from Peter Macdonald and last-gasp penalty conversion from Paul Sheerin secured an opening-day victory for the bookies’ title favourites.

But there was plenty of promise shown by Roberto Landi’s newly assembled Lions side to suggest they can avoid another season of battling relegation.

The Italian named the same starting line-up as the one that romped to a crushing 4-0 victory over Stranraer in the Challenge Cup a week earlier, which meant First Division debuts for French keeper Pierre Martini, Jason Talbot and Jean-Jose Cuenca.

However, injury again denied new signing from Blackburn Rovers, striker Raffaele De Vita, the chance to prove that the high hopes invested in him are well founded.

And Livingston started well testing the Saints keeper, Euan Maclean, twice in the early going.

Teen midfielder Murray Davidson came close to grabbing his first-ever senior goal after linking with Cuenca but his effort was brilliantly saved by Maclean.

And Griffiths — who netted a brace a week earlier against Stranraer — also tested the keeper with a couple of ferocious strikes.

But at the other end Livi weren’t as impressive, and a lack of communication almost saw Saints take the lead through an own-goal.

New No.1 Martini charged out of his goal but got nowhere near the ball, which had been headed back by Chris Innes.

Martini was forced to give chase and only just prevented it bobbling over the line for an embarrassing opener.

But the 20-year-old did have to pick the ball out of the net a minute later when Macdonald fired an angled drive in at the front post.

Livi were thrown a lifeline just minutes later when the hosts were reduced to 10 men.

Makeshift left-back Liam Craig saw red for a cynical last-man challenge on Griffiths but the Lions couldn’t make the most of their numerical advantage.

St Johnstone secured the points and a vital win from the spot in stoppage time after Chris Millar was felled by Jason Talbot.

Livingston: Martini, Mackay, Talbot, McPake, Fox, Innes, McParland (Keaghan Jacobs 85), Davidson, Cuenca, Griffiths, Hamill.

Subs Not Used: MacDonald, Smith, Cave, Jamieson.