Livi gaffer targets second place steal

Nov 3 2011 by Kieran Westbrook, West Lothian Courier

Gary Bollan

LIVINGSTON boss Gary Bollan has urged his players to shoot down Falkirk and fire themselves into title contention.

Livi’s 2-0 win over Queen of the South last weekend lifted Bollan’s side to third place in the First Division and a similar result at the Falkirk Stadium this weekend will see them leapfrog the Bairns into second spot.

However, Bollan admits that Livi will face a stiff challenge from Steven Pressley’s young side

He said: “It's a big game for us and it’s a chance to go second if we win.

“We go into every game looking for a win and this will be no different.

“But we know taking on Falkirk is no easy task.”

Livi were moments away from beating the Bairns when they took them on at the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium earlier this season; a stoppage-time spot-kick from Mark Millar denying the West Lothian club the win.

However, Falkirk’s form has improved since then and they are undefeated in their last four games, with wins over Raith Rovers, Queen of the South and Hamilton.

“They're on a good run at the moment and it was a hard game when they were at our place,” said Bollan. “They've a mix of youth and experience, much like ourselves.

“Both teams like to play football and they've a good surface to play on.

“So it should be a cracking game and, hopefully, we can come away with another good result.”

Livi notched up their third win of the season at Palmerston with some clinical finishing to halt a run of draws.

“I don’t think we've been performing too badly but part of the difference on Saturday was that we put away our chances.

“Palmerston is a hard place to go – not many teams go down there and leave with the three points – so I was delighted with the result and the performance.”

Andy comes in handy: See page 61 for Queens v Livi match report.