Lions’ win is the perfect pick-me-up for ailing boss Holt
LIVINGSTON 2 Lithgow (25), Dykes (57) ST MIRREN 1 Magennis (63)
Livingston had to combat adversity to overcome a frolicsome St Mirren side with injures depleting the West Lothian club of not only players but their manager as well.
Lions supremo Gary Holt was admitted to hospital last week and remains out of action while a string of casualties to the playing staff meant assistant manager David Martindale could only name six substitutes to face the Buddies.
Martindale was quick to point out Holt was on the road to recovery with the club’s unbeaten run extended to nine games bound to invigorate his afflicted friend.
“Gary is okay and hopefully he’ll get out of hospital on Monday,” Martindale stated.
“He was meant to be getting out on Thursday morning, then Friday morning and then Saturday morning. But he should be here by Monday and back at work. I’m not a doctor but I’m told it’s nothing too serious.
“Hopefully that result has made him feel a bit better. The performance was great. I think on chances created we probably deserved to win the game but St Mirren put us under a lot of pressure in the second half.
“They’re a different team this year with a lot of resilience. “
Livingston are mining a rich vein of form at the moment and it was a simple set-piece that allowed them to take the lead, when an outswinging Aymen Souda corner kick was headed home by an unmarked Alan Lithgow six yards out.
Souda had half the stadium on its feet just before halftime when it looked like the Frenchman had extended Livingston’s lead, but it was the outside of the net that rippled as the shot flew marginally wide.
The Buddies had the bit between their teeth at the start of the second half and a neat interchange between the mercurial Tony Andreu and Kyle McAllister allowed the winger to find the imposing Jon Obika at the back post, but his header flew narrowly over.
St Mirren had what appeared to be a legitimate appeal for a penalty ignored by referee Colin Steven as it looked like Kyle Magennis’s cross was blocked by Robbie Crawford’s raised arm and the decision was to prove pivotal.
Against the run of play, some direct running from Chris Erskine penetrated the St Mirren rearguard just before the hour mark. The former Partick Thistle winger got to the byline and cut the ball back for an expectant Lyndon Dykes to sidefoot home.
Magennis illustrated why he earned a recent call-up to the Scotland under-21 squad with a superb strike, curling his rightfoot effort into the top corner.
But Saints struggled to ride the wave of a comeback, with only a snatched Jon Obika shot troubling Stewart.
Substitute Jack Hobbs was doubly unlucky with two minutes remaining as Sean McLoughlin initially blocked the winger’s shot on the line before Hobbs effort from the rebound bounced off the top of the bar.
St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin could only lament the lack of creativity in his side.
He stated: “Livingston are a hard team to break down. They are very good at what they do.
“They are very organised. They get 10 men behind the ball. The look to hit you on the counter attack. They are very direct up to Dykes and compete for second balls. I thought they did that better than us.”