Lions slip off top spot at rain-sodden Broadwood

Oct 30 2008 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Lions slip off top spot at rain-sodden Broadwood

LIVINGSTON made it a hat-trick of successive defeats as they slipped off top spot in the First Division this weekend.

The Lions title bid was blown off course at blustery Broadwood in horrendous weather conditions.

A win for fellow title hopefuls Queen of the South and St Johnstone pushed Livi down to joint third but Roberto Landi’s men remain just three points off the summit and are still firmly in the race.

Callum Elliot gave Livingston the perfect start by netting the opener on his return from suspension but Allan Trouten equalised on the hour mark.

A share of the points seemed inevitable until veteran striker Gary McSwegan snatched the points with an injury-time winner.

The horrendous weather on Saturday put paid to the nearby Airdrie and Dunfermline fixture and both bosses were stunned when referee Craig Charleston gave this game the green light.

And the managers’ concerns were proved as the hosts lost three players through injury before the game was a quarter in.

Neil McGregor, Dave McKay and Pat Clarke were crocked in the early going forcing boss John Brown to use all his substitutes.

Clyde could have even been forced to play with just ten men after keeper David Hutton smashed Mark Brown in the face.

The Broadwood bench wanted him to come off but he bravely played on in the knowledge his side had no more subs left to use.

The game itself started well for Livingston who took the lead after just 15 minutes.

Elliot timed his run to perfection to nip ahead of his marker at the near post to prod home his sixth goal since his loan switch from Hearts.

Livi keeper Pierre Martini enjoyed a largely untroubled first half but he was caught out on 63 minutes when Alan Trouten’s mishit effort wrong-footed him at his near post.

A point a piece seemed to be on the cards until the 38-year-old McSwegan popped up at the death to head home a Scott Gemmill cross

Clyde manager John Brown slammed the decision to play the game.

"I don't think the game should have been played, I reckon the officials got it wrong," he said.

"I've had to send four players to be checked out at hospital and it could prove very costly for us. Normally, Mark Brown would have been substituted with the injury he received but it says a lot of the boy that he insisted that he played on because he knew we had no more subs."

Landi was equally annoyed at the decision to play the game. He said: "I asked the referee why the match was allowed to go on when just a few miles up the road the Airdrie game was called off.

"I could not believe it when he told me that he thought conditions were perfect for football."