Livingston give Stranraer the Blues with comfortable home win

Dec 10 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

JOE HAMILL helped Livingston cruise to a home win over Stranraer and admitted he was delighted to be playing football on a Saturday afternoon again.

The midfielder has been on the outside looking in as the Lions have embarked on a run of seven wins in eight league games which has taken them to the top of the Third Division.

But an injury to skipper Liam Fox handed Hamill a top-team return and the ex-Hearts ace is desperate to keep his place.

He said: “It felt a bit strange playing again on a Saturday but it was a great feeling for me.

“I’ve not been in favour but at the same time the boys who have been playing have been getting the results so I can’t really complain when they are doing so well and getting results for the side.

“I was glad to get 70-odd minutes under my belt in what was my first game in a good while.

“I’m contracted until the end of next season here and I’m desperate to get back playing again every week instead of sitting about but like I said it is hard to complain though with the form of the boys infront of me.”

“We played really well and it could have been a lot more for us.

“We passed the ball well and we’re doing well.

Robbie Winters opened the scoring for Livi after just 14 minutes after a howler from Murray Henderson.

The Blues stopper tried to be too clever in possession on the edge of his own box and was robbed by Winters who skipped round keeper David Mitchell before showing a cool head to feign an early shot, drawing Henderson to commit himself on the line, before rolling into the empty net.

At the other end Roddy McKenzie reacted well to claw away a low drive from Martin Jack but that was as close as the visitors got to a goal as Livingston began to dominate.

Livi doubled their lead ten minutes before the break when the impressive Keaghan Jacobs’ low cross was turned past his own keeper by the sliding Glen Mitchell.

Johnny Brown and Andy Halliday both went close for Livingston before David Winters drilled a shot off the base of the post.

Stranraer also survived a penalty scare when a Halliday cross cannoned off Romauld Bouadji’s arm but ref Stephen Finnie wasn’t interested.

Winters was then denied a goal by the woodwork for the second time when his lob came back off the face off the crossbar but it proved to be temporary respite for the Blues who fell 3-0 behind on 69 minutes when Halliday turned in a David Sinclair cross.

Livingston manager Gary Bollan, named this weekend as Third Division Manager of the Month for the second successive month, was delighted with the win.

Speaking after the match he said: “We can’t have any complaints having won again, scored three goals and kept a clean sheet.

“I thought it was comfortable for us and we could have scored a few more goals as well.

“It was a good chance when we went 3-0 up to give a few of the boys on the bench some game time and give some of the lads a breather ahead of the cup game at Clyde.”

Courier Man of the Match: Keaghan Jacobs.

Attendance: 1267

Livingston: McKenzie, Brown, Griffin, MacDonald, Talbot, Keaghan Jacobs (Kyle Jacobs), Sinclair, Hamill (Husband), Halliday, R Winters (De Vita), D Winters. Subs: Moyes, McDowall.