Head boy Robbo is Hampden hero to see off Saints
Frontman books Livi a place in Betfred Cup final
Scott Robinson was the Hampden hero as the striker fired Livingston into the Betfred Cup final for the first time in 17 years.
The striker pounced on an Efe Ambrose header that rebounded back off the crossbar to head home on nine minutes as the Lions got the better of St Mirren.
They will now have a return trip to Hampden on February 28 to face St Johnstone, with both sides bidding for just their second major honour.
A thrilled Livingston boss, David Martindale, said he was ‘delighted for everybody at the club’ following the victory – but admitted suffering through the five minutes of injury-time was far from enjoyable.
He said: “That was the longest five minutes of my life and I’ve been in some sticky situations.
“It was horrible. At Livingston you’ve not got the big screen and I think that helps you and sometimes it helps the players.
“Whereas here I kept looking up at the screen and it was saying 88 minutes.
“I’m sure I looked back up and it said 86 minutes. As soon as I saw the 90-minute mark I kept asking the fourth official, ‘How long, how long?’ So it was a long five minutes at the end.”
The jubilant boss continued: “I’m delighted for everybody at the club, the
fans, the board, the players. I’m so happy for them.
“The boys were brilliant, they defended their box very well. We changed the shape slightly in the second half and St Mirren started playing a lot of long balls – and that’s right up our street.
“It means the world to us. I am delighted for the boys in the changing room, there are a lot who have not been to cup finals.”
Robinson’s early strike was the only bright moment in an otherwise turgid affair but the Lions won’t care as they keep alive dreams of repeating their 2004 League Cup success.
Livi, who went into the game on a 10game
unbeaten run, had a couple of half-chances from distance inside the opening three minutes, with Jon Guthrie and then Josh Mullin firing straight at Jak Alnwick in quick succession as they started brightly.
They made that fast start count on nine minutes when Mullin’s free-kick from wide on the left was flicked on by Robinson with Ambrose crashing his header off the bar. Robinson, though, was the quickest to react as he gleefully nodded the ball into the empty net.
The Buddies struggled to get into the game and didn’t fashion their first attempt until the 16th minute – a harmless longrange
effort from Eamonn Brophy that trundled wide of Max Stryjek’s post.
The Polish keeper had a quiet opening 45 minutes but he had to be alert in the closing stages to race out and clear the danger with St Mirren’s Brandon Mason racing through.
Having scored early in the first half, the Lions squandered a perfect chance to do so again in the second half. Great work down the left led to Mullin firing in an enticing cross but Nicky Devlin blazed over.
Almost instantly, Livi had Craig Sibbald to thank for still being on level terms as the former Falkirk man headed a Conor McCarthy header off the line.
Jim Goodwin threw on attackers Jon Obika and Ilkay Durmus in an attempt to get back into the game but both players failed to provide a spark.
The former’s first action was to get booked for diving inside the box under pressure from Julien Serrano.
Two minutes later he should have done better when he got on the end of a Kyle McAllister cross but could only head straight at Stryjek.
It was backs to the wall stuff from Livi in the final stages with defenders Jack Fitzwater and Jackson Longridge introduced.
Both could only watch with their hearts in their mouths as Joe Shaughnessy’s header three minutes from time flashed wide.
It would be the Buddies’ final chance as Livi booked their Hampden return.
Livingston roared into next month’s League Cup final thanks to a 1-0 win over St Mirren at Hampden in Sunday’s semi-final.
Scott Robinson netted the only goal of the game in the ninth minute to leave the Lions just 90 minutes away from only the second major trophy in the club’s history.
A delighted Robinson said:“Any goal is special but to send your team-mates through to a final is amazing. It means everything to me.
“This club has come a long, long way since I’ve been here. Everyone writes us off every season. Now here we are, we are going to be playing in a national final.”
For a full report and reaction from the semi-final victory, turn to pages 34-35.