HOORAY HENRY
Jay’s joy at his carbon copy of legend Thierry’s Arsenal wonder goal v Man United
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LIVINGSTON 1 HAMILTON GORDON PARKS AT THE TONY MACARONI
IT’S a sign of the times at Livingston that all the talk on Saturday was of top six and Thierry Henry.
Football anoraks will recall an unforgettable strike by the Frenchman against Manchester United at Highbury in October 2000.
One touch to flick the ball up, holding off Denis Irwin before an acrobatic volley saw the ball explode past Fabien Barthez.
So take a bow Jay EmmanuelThomas for lighting up a cold and windy afternoon at the Tony Macaroni Arena by reconstructing that strike from his old Gunners team-mate and mentor.
The 30-year-old spent his youth at the London club picking the tricks of the trade from a true superstar of the game.
He hopes his 16th-minute shock and awe strike was the first of several copycat goals he can lift from the Henry catalogue.
Emmanuel-Thomas said: “Thierry was one of my idols, especially being at Arsenal with him and seeing him in training every day.
“But you never think you’re going to have the chance to replicate a goal as legendary as the one he scored against United.
“It just seemed to sit up perfectly for me to execute it.
“I was thinking about it as the ball was on its way to me – it was at the right speed, the defender was on the right side of me, so I was thinking that if I could shift the ball up with the first touch.
“I know I was much closer than he was, but I felt if I caught it right the keeper would have no chance and as soon as I hit it I knew it was perfect.
“I was at Arsenal from when I was seven and that goal against United was one you’ll never, ever forget.
“That and the backheel he scored at Charlton are the two he scored at Arsenal that I’ll remember most.
“So now that I’ve scored my version of this one, maybe one day if the ball falls right I can manage the other one as well. If I’m replicating goals from one of the greatest players of all time, that can’t be bad.”
The Englishman was handed his start as there was no place for Scott Robinson due to the Lion’s striker’s continued absence which is understood to be due a breach of the club’s code of conduct.
Livi boss Martindale wouldn’t be drawn on the specifics surrounding the striker as he looks to have played his last game for the club with his contract ending this summer.
Emmanuel Thomas opener was only part of an impressive performance which provided the West Lothian side with an attacking focal point which has been missing for parts of this campaign.
The former Arsenal hopeful admits his all-round game has been honed around Henry as he based a career on the icon’s image.
He said: “I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time around Henry and to get to talk to him a lot, to learn from him, both during his first spell at the club and when he came back later in his career.
“He was a great mentor, such a great person to speak to, someone who always had so much advice for younger players who wanted to play as a forward.
“He wasn’t just an everyday striker; he was a leader who took Arsenal to so many trophies. He was a great person to study close up.”
For the second season on the bounce, Livingston secured a top six place and this time around they managed it with one game to spare before next weekend’s split.
A run of six games without a win was brought to a halt with a dominant display against Accies, who have bigger issues to focus on as they continue their battle to pull clear of trouble at the bottom.
Emmanuel-Thomas set the tone with his stunning opener before Accies drew level with a quality strike of their own through Callum Smith’s low thunderbolt from 25 yards out on the half-hour mark. Livingston
regained their lead six minutes later after Lee Hodson chested a Nicky Devlin cross into his own net but Scott Pittman was given the credit as he managed to get a toe to the ball before it crossed the line.
After a thrilling first half, the second period was always going to be a hard act to follow and so it proved despite plenty of huff and puff as Hamilton tried in vain to get back on terms.
It was left to Emmanuel-Thomas to have the final word and he admits it’s taken a few weeks to get back into gear after going down to St Johnstone in the Betfred Cup Final.
He said: “We’d been waiting for this the past five or six games. We had a good week in training and spoke in the dressing room about how much we needed the three points – it’s a great feeling to get the job done and be secure in the top six.
“Now we can reset and focus on the five games after the split.
“It’s never great to lose a cup final and everyone reacts differently to it, but as a group it’s difficult to bounce back from a result like that. Watching them lift the trophy is mentally draining and it takes a while to get over.
“So it’s just nice after a couple of defeats to get back on it and put together such an important win.”