Promotion dream is over for the Lions as they fall to defeat and drift eight points off the lead

Apr 16 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

THE door has surely been slammed shut on Livingston’s promotion bid after Saturday’s 2-0 home reverse against Morton.

But it was a day when off the field matters again gained the headlines as chairman Angelo Massone once again slammed the critics of the club.

The Lions chairman issued a blast at the seemingly never ending stream of negative press stories which have threatened to derail the team’s SPL bid all season inside the matchday programme.

But on football matters the weekend defeat meant that the West Lothian club were overtaken in third spot by Morton.

The gap of eight points between the Lions and the league leaders is now surely too big an obstacle to overcome with just four games of the season left to play.

Boss Paul Hegarty has certainly did his best and he has kept the club in the hunt over a difficult period with a series of excellent results.

Indeed prior to Saturday’s visit by the ever-improving Morton the Almondvale side were on a five-game unbeaten run.

The Greenock side were however probably the division’s most in-form side and they proved to be too strong for Livi.

Brian Wake proved to be the difference by grabbing both goals — one in each half.

The first of his strikes came after just 19 minutes when he glanced a Stevie Masterton cross past Roddy McKenzie.

And he sealed the points eight minutes from the end when he swept home on a day to forget for Livi.

Livingston created very few chances and it was, as Hegarty conceded after the match, probably their poorest performance since the Dundee United legend arrived at the club.

They failed to test keeper Kevin Cuthbert throughout the afternoon and left Hegarty’s promotion dream in tatters.

Livingston: McKenzie, McKay (MacDonald 46), Malone, Griffin, Davidson, Miller, McParland, Hamill, Griffiths, Fox (Halliday 53), One (Winters 53).

Subs not used: Sinclair, McDowall.