Lawless silences boss Holt
FEW managers enjoy being proved wrong. On this occasion, however, one suspects Livingston boss Gary Holt will survive.
As Steven Lawless prepared to unleash the magnificent drive from distance that would ultimately see off Hamilton and continue Holt’s 100-per-cent record in charge of Livvy, his boss was pleading with the mercurial winger not to shoot.
Holt was suitably silenced as the ball soared past Gary Woods, prompting the former Partick Thistle favourite to wheel away in celebration with his hand over his mouth in mock disbelief in front of the seething Accies faithful.
‘I was actually telling him: “Go beyond” as the ball came to him,’ smiled Holt. ‘Then he decided to hit it. I guess he shouldn’t listen to me! It’s a hell of a finish. It was fitting that goal won it.
‘Although he is playing as a wing-back, we are trying to use Stevie in a more attacking sense because he has the qualities to hurt opposition.
‘We’ve asked him not to just stand out on the wing — come in and play as a No10 or an extra man in midfield. He is getting there and grasping that challenge. That’s what we want, boys who are willing to learn and hungry to get themselves into good positions.’
Indeed, Livvy’s only grievance from a satisfying showing should be their failure to register a margin of victory in keeping with their dominance. Craig Halkett struck the post, while Dolly Menga and Scott Pittman both passed up decent opportunities.
Nevertheless, Livingston — tipped to endure a relegation battle by so many — are now in the rarefied air of third place in the Premiership, level on points with Celtic. It would be churlish to criticise their profligacy.
‘It’s been five games,’ smiled Holt, tempering the fervour. ‘It’s good while it lasts and we’ll take it, but I know we’ll lose games as well as win them.’
Any concerns that the international hiatus would interrupt the momentum created by successive victories were swiftly assuaged as the hosts claimed the lead in sumptuous fashion.
A Keaghan Jacobs free-kick was only cleared as far as Lawless, loitering on the edge of the box, and he proceeded to unleash a magnificent dipping drive into the top corner. It was his maiden goal in gold — and he will do well to better it.
Livingston’s much-maligned new artificial turf remains unlikely to win many neutral admirers. Nevertheless it has undoubtedly settled since its inglorious introduction to the top flight, with notably fewer spraying pellets. And the hosts were playing plenty of slick stuff on the surface.
A superb passing move saw centreback Declan Gallagher set free on the right flank to deliver a fine cross to the diminutive Lawless, left unmarked in the box to head over the bar.
Menga, an unpredictable firecracker of a forward, unleashed two speculative drives off target in the space of five minutes as Livvy took control.
Scott McMann was replaced by Dougie Imrie after just 33 minutes as Hamilton manager Martin Canning sought to remedy a meek showing. However, the jeers that greeted the half-time whistle from the seething travelling support spoke volumes.
However, the second half did not see a change of fortune. After a minute of the restart Halkett had struck the post from a Jacobs set-piece, while Menga passed up a golden opportunity from point-blank range.
But Accies never looked like punishing Livvy for wasting chances.
‘We lacked spark; that creativity in the final third,’ admitted Canning. ‘We have got to do better than that as an attacking team.’