Aberdeen 3 Livingston 2 /Northern delight
● Home side jump above Livingston as good second-half display earns a deserved victory
Derek Mcinnes hailed midfielder Lewis Ferguson for his stunning injury-time winner and fellow teenager Connor Mclennan for his superb second-half display that earned Aberdeen a comeback 3-2 victory over Livingston, writes Scott Davie.
The West Lothian side led at the break but the contribution of the two youngsters turned things the Dons way.
Manager Mcinnes was as relieved as he was delighted when Ferguson settled it with a superb overhead kick and said afterwards: “Just when you think it might
not happen Fergie came up with another brilliant goal. He has developed a habit of it and I felt it was well deserved, the better team won. Big players produce big moments and I would like to see a more regular return of goals from him but it was great to see the players get their just rewards for their efforts.
“Connor Mclennan was a big part of that. He did very well when he came on.
“We have introduced more youngsters this season. It is something that has been aimed at me that I don’t play them enough but we are
learning about the younger ones more, they are getting the minutes and it’s good for their development.”
Disappointed Livingston manager Gary Holt admitted Aberdeen deserved the win but said: “It’s a sore one to take, it’s the proverbial kick in the teeth. We rode our luck at times but to lose a goal so late is a sickener.
“We let them get too many balls into our box so we will have to learn from it but I am not downhearted. The desire and commitment was there.”
Lewis Ferguson showed Aberdeen’s struggling strikers how it’s done with a stunning overhead kick in injury time to break Livingston’s stubborn resistance and move them above the West Lothian side into the top six.
The teenager, signed for only £250,000 from Hamilton Accies in the summer, produced a replica of the one he scored against Burnley in the Europa League qualifier at Turf Moor but, while that tie ended in defeat, this goal clinched a hard-fought but ultimately deserved win.
It took him on to four for the season, a tally that only the absent Gary Mackay-steven has bettered for Aberdeen in the campaign so far, but the lack of goals from more expected sources continues to hamper the Pittodrie club’s progress.
Manager Derek Mcinnes publicly lamented the form of the strikers he has been left to operate with after failing to finance deals for six preferred options last summer and, if nothing else, it certainly seemed to elicit the response the manager was looking for, at least in spells.
Aberdeen were bright, inventive and full of intent right from the off, with Stevie May showing a lovely touch on gathering a Graeme Shinnie pass before spinning away from Alan Lithgow.
It’s fair to say that, with the hard work done, the May of a couple of seasons ago would have finished in some style but his shot was too close to Liam Kelly, who saved comfortably.
Incessant rain and a swirling wind whipping in off the North Sea hardly helped the players but that was no excuse for the flurry of goals that saw Aberdeen take the lead only to end the half trailing the visitors.
The normally diligent Livingston defence switched off as Shay Logan took a quick throw-in to send Sam Cosgrove, back from the start after last week’s red card at Ibrox, away on the right and his cross was met by Niall Mcginn’s volley to shoot the Dons ahead after only nine minutes.
That should have been the lift they needed to impose themselves on the game but instead a team who have shown terrific tenacity since returning to the top flight drew level three minutes later.
Craig Sibbald outmuscled Andrew Considine at the edge of the penalty area and, although Joe Lewis saved at the former Falkirk player’s feet, there was nothing he could do to stop Scott Pittman clipping the rebound home.
Defending has been Aberdeen’s strength this season but if the loss of the first goal was poor, the second was arguably worse. Scott Wright was too easily dispossessed by Dolly Menga and the Angolan striker found Pittman who threaded a pass behind Scott Mckenna for the run of Mcmillan, who angled his shot across the keeper into the far corner for his first Premiership goal.
Wright’s suffering didn’t stop there though as the winger was replaced by Connor Mclennan at half-time and the teenager, who signed a new threeyear contract last week, made an immediate impression.
His pace and directness unsettled the Livingston defence and very nearly set up an instant equaliser. Niall Mcginn steered the winger’s first cross straight at Kelly but the next got the finish it deserved. Mclennan burst into space down the right and swept over a wicked bending ball that Cosgrove rattled into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box. It was only his third goal for the club he joined from Carlisle in January.
His next involvement was not something to be proud of as the striker went into a challenge with Livi substitute Scott 2 The ball is on its way into the Livingston net as Lewis Ferguson scores Aberdeen’s dramatic late winner at Pittodrie last night. Robinson and took a couple of paces before diving to try to win a penalty and instead was shown a yellow card by referee Craig Thomson.
Aberdeen shouldn’t have needed a spot-kick as they created enough chances to ease their way to three points in a one-sided second half.
Considine headed wide of an open goal from six yards and May again ended up one-onone with Kelly only to shoot straight at him. Mckenna also volleyed straight into Kelly’s arms before the pressure finally paid off two minutes into stoppage time with Ferguson’s spectacular finish.
ABERDEEN: Lewis, Logan, Considine, Mckenna, Lowe, Wright (Mclennan 46), Ferguson, Shinnie, Mcginn (Ball 90), May (Anderson 87), Cosgrove. Subs not used:
Cerny, Gleeson, Forrester, Wilson.
LIVINGSTON: Kelly, Gallagher, Halkett, Lithgow, Sibbald,pittman, Byrne, Mcmillan, Jacobs (Lawless 58), Burns (Robinson 58), Menga (Hamilton 67). Subs not used:
Stewart, Cadden, Hardie, Lawson.