Livingston’s Perth pain continues

Feb 19 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Livingston’s Perth pain continues

THE Saints went marching on at the top of the table this weekend as St Johnstone enjoyed their third successive league win over Livingston.

Their lead at the First Division summit is now eight points and the Lions’ promotion hopes are fading fast.

A single goal from sub Colin Samuel was enough for the title favourites to take all three points but it was a bitter pill for Livi to swallow as they deserved at least a share of the spoils.

Twice in a dominant first half the West Lothian side had rattled the crossbar with home keeper Allan Main beaten but they were hit by a sucker punch as the hosts snatched the win.

Livi boss Paul Hegarty took his troops up the M9 for this crucial league battle without the services of top goalscorer Leigh Griffiths after his sending off last week.

But his enforced absence gave a spot on the bench to Italian gunslinger Rafa De Vita after a lengthy spell on the treatment table.

Armand One and David Winters led the offensive line for the Lions and Winters came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock on 15 minutes when his delicate lob crashed back off the bar.

Then Tony McParland followed suit after cutting inside and rattling the woodwork from 25 yards.

The first half was all Livi and the hosts problems went from bad to worse when striker Andy Jackson fell to the turf after tearing his achilles.

An ambulance pulled up the tunnel at half-time to whisk the Ireland Under-21 international to hospital and the sight of an emergency vehicle at a football match is never a welcome sight.

In the second half Saints finally came into the match and Gavin Swankie forced a save from Roddy McKenzie.

And they went one better on 70 minutes when sub Samuel raced onto a Chris Millar lob, left Dave Mackay in his wake and prodded the ball past McKenzie.

The Trinidad and Tobago ace was clattered by the Lions keeper in the process but his goal stretches the Saints’ unbeaten run to 18 league games, just one short of the club record set in 1963.

Livingston will not give up the chase but they are now eight points behind the leaders who also have the cushion of a game in hand.

But had it not been for the width of the woodwork it would have been a different story.

Livingston: McKenzie, Mackay, Macdonald, Innes, Griffin, McParland, Davidson, Talbot (Keaghan Jacobs), Hamill, Winters, One (De Vita).