Livingston edge past Elgin thanks to Brown beauty

Jan 28 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Livingston edge past Elgin thanks to Brown beauty

JONATHAN BROWN fired Livingston three points clear at the top of the Third Division last night with his first goal for the club.

The right-back, on loan from Hearts, showed his strikers the way to goal by pouncing midway through the second-half to leave Elgin City shattered.

A low Keaghan Jacobs cross into the box was missed by sub Marc McNulty but it ran through to the unmarked Brown at the back stick who lashed into the net.

It proved to be the difference between the sides on a night where Livingston looked to be heading for a second league draw on the trot.

Livingston rattled the woodwork on six minutes when Raffaele De Vita beat keeper John Gibson to a Brown cross to crack a header against the crossbar.

Elgin midfield pair Kyle MacAulay and Craig Gunn both had home keeper Roddy McKenzie scrambling across his goal with long range drives but both went narrowly wide.

Keaghan Jacobs fired a dipping volley just wide of the post for Livingston but it was Elgin who almost took the lead before the break when Gunn headed past McKenzie but Livi had Joe Hamill on the post who hacked off the line.

Livingston started the second-half with more purpose and they created a chance within four minutes of the restart with Winters slipping Brown in on goal but Gibson raced off his line to narrow the angle and make the block.

Gibson was called into action again a few moments later when smothered a Cammy MacDonald header.

Livingston introduced Andy Halliday from the bench and the teenager created a glorious chance for Liam Fox who raced in on goal but the skipper blazed over left footed from 10 yards.

But the opener finally arrived on 71 minutes when right back Brown ghosted in at the back post unnoticed to steer home Jacobs’ inswinger.

Halliday should have made it 2-0 on ten minutes from the end after galloping clear and skipping round Gibson.

The Elgin keeper clipped his ankles but he tried to stay on his feet and hook the ball into the net from the angle but David Craig made a superb goal line block and the Livi kid blasted the rebound into the side netting.

Bobby Barr had a couple of late sights of goal but the club’s newest acquisition blazed over with the first and steered the second narrowly wide.

Courier Man of the Match: Jonathan Brown.

Livingston: McKenzie, Brown, C MacDonald, Watson, Talbot, Jacobs, Fox, Hamill (Sinclair), Barr, De Vita (Halliday), Winters (McNulty). Subs: Griffin, McDowall.