Craig Barr praises spirit of ten-man Lions

Feb 24 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

CRAIG BARR hailed the Livingston team spirit after the ten-man Lions dug deep to weather a late Stenny storm and move 11-points clear at the top of the Second Division.

Iain Russell netted his third goal inside a week to open the scoring for Livingston before Bobby Barr doubled their lead before the break.

But left-back Jason Talbot earned the first squeeze of the shower gel on the hour mark after picking up a second-booking which saw the pendulum of power swing in the Warriors’ direction.

They pulled a goal back through sub Alex Williams and were only denied a late leveller when Livi keeper Tony Bullock produced a heroic late block to deny Andrew Stirling.

Stenhousemuir were also furious at whistler Alan Muir’s refusal to grant them a stoppage time spot-kick after Eric Paton hit the deck but Livingston held on.

And Barr insists points, not performances, win prizes and winning the match was the most important thing.

He said: “It would have been easy not to win after going down to ten men.

“However, we defended well, worked well as a team, showed good spirit and that’s a good sign.

“We maybe didn’t play as well as we can in the second-half but to come away with three points is all that matters, especially at this time of the season.

“A good performance is always nice but getting the points is the most important thing for the lads.

“It is the result that counts and with the teams below us either not playing games or dropping points it allows us to get extra points on the board.

“We defended well but it was poor from our end to let them get back in the game.

“Stenny did come out here to frustrate us by playing just one up-front and five at the back but I thought we were well on top and looking comfortable before we let them back into things when Jason (Talbot) was sent off.

“Sitting deep is natural and as much as you don’t want it to happen and you try to keep a high line, instinct kicks in, and the more pressure builds so when you are clearing a ball it’s coming right back on you.

“It just happens and it is difficult to stop it happening and it is hard on the boys’ legs at the back but I thought we defended well.”

Barr also dismissed Stenny’s late claims for a penalty and their grumbles over Livi’s opener, involving Barr, which visiting boss Davie Irons had claimed was a clear foul.

Barr continued: “I know they were looking for a free kick against myself at our first-goal but I don’t think there was anything in it.

“The boy stood still and didn’t even challenge and all I did was put my arm around him and get my head on the ball to knock it to Beany (Iain Russell) who produced a good finish.

“Maybe sometimes a foul would go against me but it’s swings and roundabouts and we were delighted to get the goal and a good start.

“Then at the end of the game, both entire teams, including both goalkeepers, were in the box and there was so much going on and it happened really quickly so I don’t know if it was a penalty or not to be perfectly honest.

“I think he maybe went over looking for the decision but I’ve seen them given but I thought the referee made the right call.”

Home skipper Liam Fox had the game’s first effort with a swirling 20-yarder which drifted over the top before Kyle Jacobs wasted a free header on the half-hour mark after being picked out by Joe Hamill’s free kick.

The opener came on 34 minutes when Craig Barr headed another Hamill delivery across goal for Russell to hook the ball over his shoulder and into the net for his third goal inside a week.

Stenny were furious as they claimed Barr had manhandled their stopper in the build-up to the goal but the ref wasn’t interested.

The visitors created their first real chance of the match six minutes before the break when Grant Anderson forced Bullock into a save with a well struck drive from the edge of the box before the same player lashed a low drive narrowly wide from the resulting corner.

Livingston then doubled their lead when the in form Bobby Barr was given time and space in the box to pick his spot and curl into the bottom corner from 14 yards.

Paton did have a chance to pull a goal back on the stroke of half-time when he found a pocket of space in the Livi box and rose to meet Sean Dickson’s free kick but his header was straight at Bullock.

Immediately following the restart Kyle Jacobs hit the top of the bar with a header before Stenny passed up a golden opportunity when Scott Dalziel dragged a shot across goal and wide with just the keeper to beat.

The league leaders were reduced to ten men on the hour mark when Talbot, who was walking a disciplinary tight-rope after a first-half caution, was late in a challenge on Anderson and was sent off.

Stenny pulled a goal back just four minutes later when Anderson’s whipped ball across goal was stabbed into the top corner at full stretch by Williams.

Then in the final minute the visitors forced two point blank stops from Bullock while they also appealed in vain for a spot-kick after Paton hit the turf but the ten-man Lions held on for the three points.

Livingston manager Gary Bollan said: “I thought we were totally dominant right up until the point where we went down to ten men.

“We scored twice in the first-half, and without having a pop at Stenhousemuir, they came here to frustrate us by playing five across the back and only one up but we managed to break them down and I thought we were comfortable but at the end we were hanging on a bit as they put us under a bit of pressure.

"But it's another good win for us and another important three points.”

Stenhousemuir boss Davie Irons insisted his side had been robbed of a point by two dodgy decisions.

He said: “I think we thoroughly deserved something out of the game and we were the better team on the day.

“We were denied a penalty kick right at the end and we suffered a horrendous decision for their first goal. How anyone can’t see that was a foul is beyond me.

“It is soul destroying for the boys because they’ve worked so hard and our keeper hasn’t had a save to make in the whole game yet has had to pick the ball out of the net twice.

“The first goal really killed us as at that point I thought we’d snuffed out Livingston’s threat and they were getting frustrated but we lost a goal when their guy came right over the top of our centre-back, he has pushed and shoved him, and how that’s not a foul I don’t know. It is beyond belief for me.

“I know Livingston lost a man but we pummelled them for the second-half but they did defend well and put their body on the line but right at the death Paton has gone for the ball and been kneed right in the thigh as he has gone for the ball.”

Courier Man of the Match: Tony Bullock

Livingston: Bullock, D Jacobs, C Barr, Watson, Talbot, Kyle Jacobs, Fox, Hamill, B Barr, Russell (Malone), Deuchar (Winters).