‘UGLY’ FIRST WIN IS PRETTY GOOD
Three points sees Lions climb off foot of the table
LIVINGSTON..............................................1 ROSS COUNTY ..........................................0
It wasn’t pretty - but that didn’t bother Livingston boss Gary Holt as the Lions picked up their first win of the season.
Jon Guthrie’s header from a Julien Serrano cross midway through the second half proved to be the difference in a largely forgettable afternoon.
The hosts were given a massive helping hand when County wing- back Carl Tremarco was dismissed for a second booking just after the interval after clipping the dangerous Nicky Devlin.
It was a deserved three points for Livi, who climbed off the foot of the Premiership table in the process, and the gaffer was delighted to finally get three points on the board.
He said: “I’ve talked with the players that I wanted an ugly, 1-0 win and we got that.
“With the chances we created we should have scored more but I got my win. The last thing I said to them before the start of the game was to make sure they came back in with the three points.
“I didn’t care how they did it. We needed a reward today for the work we had done in the first month. We needed to get something out of the game and we got that.”
He added: “I wouldn’t say it’s a weight off my shoulders as I believe in the players. I believe in the work that they do.
“After the Aberdeen game last week I told
them they had to change how they went about things. I wanted them to make this as ugly as possible and to make it a battle.
“I wanted them to make it a Livi style of game. We did that but still created good chances.
“I asked them to be patient but without taking the pace out of the game. I wanted them to keep it moving. That’s what got the boy the second yellow, the pace of our play and getting at them. We got into really good areas and got good balls into the box but now we’re getting people on the end of them.”
Holt handed a debut to German striker Lars Lokotsch while Serrano earned a first start and Efe Ambrose was recalled to the starting line-up. There was no place in the matchday squad for Anthony Stokes, however.
Ross County fashioned the game’s first effort when neat build-up play down the left led to Ross Stewart teeing up strike partner Billy McKay but his strike was comfortably dealt with by Robby McCrorie.
The Lions should have opened the scoring on eight minutes when Scott Robinson found Devlin in space on the right. His pinpoint cross was somehow blasted over from inside the six-yard box by Scott Pittman.
Both sides were well-organised which simply saw them cancelling each other out for large spells with little pretty football on show as the game struggled to get going.
Lokotsch went close to marking his debut in style just before the break but saw his header from a tremendous Alan Forrest cross bounce off the crossbar and over. At the other end, McKay glanced wide from a corner-kick in the final action of a dour first half.
The game swung in Livi’s favour just six minutes into the second half as Tremarco was shown a second yellow after dragging down Devlin on the edge of the box. He had picked up a booking for a needless foul on Pittman inside the first 10 minutes.
That immediately led to the best spell from the hosts as they forced a series of corners - but a sturdy County defence held firm.
The pressure finally told in the 64th minute, though, when Serrano’s cross was met by Guthrie with the centre-back heading beyond Ross Laidlaw for his first goal of the season.
Jason Holt, an early second half substitute for the injured Craig Sibbald, tried to double his side’s lead from distance but his fizzing strike was held by Laidlaw.
The hosts would be in near total control of proceedings for the remainder of the game but were unable to add to their advantage.
A win, a clean sheet and jumping out of the bottom two, though, makes for an enjoyable afternoon for Livingston.