Brechin edge Livingston in clash of title titans

Feb 24 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

BRECHIN booted open the door on the Second Division title race with a late winner to halt league leaders Livingston six-match winning streak.

Craig Molloy grabbed the only goal of the game three minutes from the end to win it at Glebe Park for City and take a chunk out of the Lions lead at the top.

Livingston are still eight points clear of chasing Brechin but have played two matches more.

It was a first-half of few chances as both sides struggled at times to cope with the badly cut up pitch, which passed an afternoon inspection, which was proving tough to tame and making a passing game almost impossible.

It took 22 minutes for either side to create a genuine chance but when it came it was for the visitors as Kenny Deuchar popped up on the left-wing to trick his way to the by-line.

He hooked the ball back to skipper Liam Fox who took a fresh-air swipe at the ball but team mate Iain Russell reacted quickest but his snapshot from the edge of the area was always rising and drifted harmlessly over the top.

Livingston also had the next effort with midfielder Kyle Jacobs letting fly with a 20-yard fizzer which was palmed over the top by keeper Craig Nelson.

At the other end Rory McAllister won a free kick right on the edge of the Livi box after a challenge from Craig Barr.

The normally deadly City striker took the set-piece himself but his low effort was easily cleared.

Fox went close for the league leaders on the stroke of half-time with a scuffed shot which bounced narrowly past the post with Nelson scrambling across his goal line.

Brechin improved after the break but despite enjoying far more possession although they didn’t create a lot of clear cut chances.

Their first sight of goal of the half came after an attempted clearance by Livi stopper Barr cannoned back off team mate Joe Hamill and sent McAllister scampering after it.

The roll of the ball was taking him wide and his shot on the angle rolled across the face of goal.

Ten minutes from the end Brechin created an even better chance which resulted in Molloy being played clean through inside the middle of the box but he poked his effort wide.

It would have been a miss which could have haunted the midfield man but he popped up seven minutes later to bag the winner in stunning style cutting inside from the left, playing a give and go with McAllister before curling into the bottom corner from 15-yards.

Brechin boss Jim Weir said: “I’m delighted with the second-half especially. We didn’t play so well in the first-half and I think we lacked a wee bit of self-belief which is what I explained to them at half-time. We have lost twice to Livingston this season, they are the only side to have beaten us in the league, but I explained we were shooting down the hill and had the conditions behind us so take the game to them and show them what you can do.

“The goal was terrific and Molloy has just been an inspiration for me. He has been a fantastic signing and typifies what I’m looking for in a player. He kept driving us forward and snapping into tackles and he was a bit unlucky not to get a goal before he did but he got his rewards in the end.”

Livingston boss Gary Bollan added: “We are disappointed with any defeat but to be honest Brechin were worthy winners with their second-half performance and I’ve no complaints.

“They put us on the back-foot down the slope here and we were made to pay for it before the end.

“We have been creating chances so it is disappointing we didn’t create many. Conditions were difficult but it is no excuse and it didn’t allow us to play in the way we like to play.

“But that’s not making any excuses and on the night we didn’t play well enough.”

Courier Man of the Match: Kyle Jacobs

Livingston: Bullock, D Jacobs, C Barr, Cowan, Malone, Kyle Jacobs, Fox, Hamill, B Barr, Russell (De Vita), Deuchar (Winters).