Livi show true grit in battle for dear point

Jan 29 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

TWO late goals in the closing nine minutes rescued a point for Livingston on Saturday as defeat stared them in the face.

Brian Wake and Ryan McGuffie netted for Morton in the opening quarter of an hour to leave the Lions chasing the game.

But Leigh Griffiths’ first goal since mid December halved the deficit and with just three minutes left Livi pulled level when ‘Ton stopper Chris Smith diverted the ball into his own net.

It was a fantastic revival from the Lions who had been punchdrunk and reeling on the ropes after being ripped apart in a first half in which they could have found themselves four or five goals behind.

Morton grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck right from the start and took an early lead when Alex Walker sent in a curling cross that Wake glanced beyond Roddy McKenzie.

McGuffie headed home a second from a Stevie Masterton corner as Livi looked to be sinking without a trace.

McKenzie had already made a series of superb saves to deny Peter Weatherson and Wake twice.

Wake also rattled the crossbar as Morton pummelled the Livi goal. But Paul Hegarty’s men held on and when Armand One, playing as a trialist, struck the crossbar it gave them a lift.

Their reward arrived when they pulled a goal back nine minutes from the end when Griffiths pounced on James McPake’s miscued header to steer home from inside the box.

The fightback was completed three minutes from time when a Tony McParland cross was headed past his own keeper by Smith, who had dived full-length in an attempt to clear.

Morton boss Davie Irons admitted he was gutted at losing the chance to take all three points.

He said: “We blew Livingston off the park in the first half.

“All credit to their players and Paul Hegarty for keeping his team in it, but I don’t think anyone would have grudged us winning on the chances we had."

Livingston: McKenzie, MacKay, Talbot (Miller), McPake, Davidson, MacDonald (Keaghan Jacobs), McParland, Griffin, Griffiths, Winters, A One.Subs not used: Hamill, Halliday, Martini.