Third win in a row for Lions as they close in on title glory

Mar 10 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

IAIN RUSSELL tormented his former club with a goal and an all-round dazzling display but he jokes he would have had netted another had his skipper not nicked the ball off his toe.

Livingston were 2-0 up when Russell burst in on goal but he was beaten to the ball by Liam Fox who steered home to seal an emphatic win for the league leaders against a club who have been showing fine form.

And striker Russell, now with 16 league goals to his name, jokes that Fox had to take the chance after seeing the striker miss a couple of earlier chances which had come his way.

He said: “Foxy did steal one off me but the boys are saying he had to because I’d missed a few chances before that incident.

“I wasn’t too happy he took it off me but it was a great finish and in all seriousness I was delighted to see it go in.

“It was a really good win for us as we always knew it would be a hard game especially with Dumbarton on a really good run.

“I think our start to the match showed how up for the game we were.

“We started brightly and managed to score two early goals which settled us into the game.

“I was with Dumbarton for five years and I really enjoyed my time here and it is always good to come back and see a lot of people who still work here.”

The Lions roared out of the traps and scored twice inside the opening seven minutes to put themselves firmly in the driving seat early in the match.

Keaghan Jacobs bagged the opener when he drilled a shot under keeper Stephen Grindlay after Bobby Barr’s effort had been deflected into his path.

Jon McShane crashed a shot off the crossbar for Dumbarton barely 60-seconds later before Livingston doubled their advantage when Russell headed against the bar before reacting quickest to pounce on the rebound and smash a volley into the roof of the net from three-yards.

At the other end Andy Geggan’s long ranger was tipped round the post by Tony Bullock at full-stretch as the Sons came back into the match for a 20-minute spell.

Dumbarton almost pulled a goal back on 12 minutes when Pat Walker burst in on goal and carried the ball round Bullock but his shot was cleared off the line by the sliding Paul Watson who had tracked back in the nick of time.

Russell’s pace was causing his former club all sorts of problems and another ball over the top sent him clear again.

Stephen Grindlay was well off his line but Russell didn’t manage to get underneath the ball and his attempted lob rolled into the keeper’s grateful arms.

Another long ball caught out the home side with Bobby Barr this time galloping clear.

He managed to get his shot away but a combination of Grindlay and a covering defender managed to fend off the danger.

Barr had the first chance of the second-half but despite the Livi man getting a venomous connection on his effort Grindlay stood up well and made a point blank stop.

Livingston had the woodwork wobbling when sub Fox curled a free kick off the upright.

Then Fox made sure of the points on 70 minutes when he beat Russell to the ball inside the box after the frontman had bamboozled the Sons stoppers with a change of pace and skill and Fox finished across goal and into the bottom corner.

Russell could have added a fourth before the end after robbing Martin McNiff on the half-way line and charging in on goal but his touch was a little heavy as he reached the box whcih allowed Grindlay to spring off his line and smother the ball.

Livingston manager Gary Bollan said: “We had a great start to the game.

“We knew we were coming here for a game as they were the form side in the league and we told the boys they had to make sure they started the game properly which they did and they kept that going all the way through the 90 minutes.

“We have kept three clean sheets in a row and scored ten goals in the last three matches too and had Iain Russell converted some of the other one on one chances we had it could have been more here too.”

Dumbarton manager Alan Adamson said: “That’s the first time in the last seven or eight games that I can honestly say we were beaten by a better side.

“You can’t afford to start a game as slack as we did.

“To lose two-goals early-doors against any team is criminal but to do it against the league leaders leaves you with a mountain to climb.”

Courier Man of the Match: Iain Russell

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