Player-boss Miller on mark for first time to put

Livingston, playing at the home of Linlithgow Rose, took the lead in traditional Kenny Miller fashion as he displayed a quick turn of pace to race past the Annan defence to calmly slot past Alex Mitchell.

Miller should have notched his second just after the restart, but he crashed his effort off the post from one yard out.

Teenage striker Jack Hamilton was next to test the woodwork on the hour, trying his luck from a tight angle, but hit the post. Annan should have levelled on 82 minutes as Scott Hooper found Aiden Smith in the box, but the substitute could not find a way past Liam Kelly.

The home side were reduced to 10 men with two minutes remaining after Rickie Lamie clattered into Ross Ferguson.

After the game, Miller stated: “Again, it’s another win. Do we want to get better? Absolutely.

“Very dominant in spells, but you don’t get the second goal and you invite a lot of pressure in the last 10-15 minutes.

“Going into the last game, if you win it, you win the group and you progress to the next stage – which is what we wanted at the start of it.” On 18 minutes, Jamie Mckernon looked set to net for Queen’s when he ran through on Blair Carswell’s goal, but he slipped his shot wide. Seven minutes from the break, James Dishington ran on to a defence-splitting pass from Blair Atkinson and slid a low shot past Jordan Hart from 14 yards.

The lead lasted only three minutes, with home skipper Scott Gibson rising to head in.

The hosts hit the winner on 70 minutes thanks to a strike from Kurtis Roberts, who crashed a 25-yard shot high past Carswell. After withstanding some early pressure from the visitors, the roof began to cave in on the Capital side in the 24th minute, Lyndon Dykes displaying immaculate control and lobbing over City keeper Calum Antel.

It was 2-0 less than two minutes later, Stephen Dobbie latching on to a clearance before steering the ball beyond Antell. Josh Todd made it 3-0 in 34 minutes, heading home from Jordan Marshall’s cross, before Dobbie recorded his second shortly afterwards, the striker finding himself unmarked at the back post as he finished off Todd’s precise crossfield pass.

After the break, the visitors almost increased their advantage when Antell saved well from a Dykes header. Airdrieonians broke the deadlock after 20 minutes when a corner from the left was headed in by Sean Crighton, who stole in at the back post to net.