LIONS HEARTED
PLAY-OFF LATEST Hoppy days are here again as Livi boss leads his team to brink of return to the top flight
LIVINGSTON’S dreams of a topflight return are still alive after holding firm to condemn Dundee United to a third season in the Championship.
The Lions will now do battle with either Partick Thistle or Ross County as they bid for a place in the Premiership for the first time since dropping out in 2006.
It is a remarkable achievement after only coming up from League One a year ago.
And boss David Hopkin has worked magic with a squad whose togetherness shone through during a frantic 90 minutes.
United counterpart Csaba Laszlo had been backed to remain in charge by new chairman Mike Martin even if their promotion bid failed.
But it remains to be seen what the consequences of this defeat will be.
Alan Lithgow was a rock at the back all night for the West Lothian men and he grabbed a sixth-minute opener for the home side that proved crucial.
Scott Fraser restored parity on the night but Livi’s first-leg victory at Tannadice earned them passage to next week’s final.
Bilel Mohsni shrugged off a groin strain picked up in United’s 3-2 first-leg defeat on Monday to make the starting line-up.
But they were without skipper Willo Flood after the midfielder’s red-card meltdown at Tannadice.
Grant Gillespie came in and Mark Durnan was preferred to left-back Jamie Robson.
Livi boss Hopkin gave his players a vote of confidence by making just one change from the team that gave them a one-goal advantage to protect.
Keaghan Jacobs was drafted in to sit in front of an unfamiliar back four in preference to Scott Robinson.
The match kicked off with hundreds of fans still streaming in to the ground.
So many home supporters arrived late that hundreds had to be guided round the side of the pitch and into the usually unused south stand.
And they had barely taken their seats when the home side grabbed the opener.
But United had been the first to threaten in the fourth minute. Sam Stanton produced a trademark burst of energy from his central midfield beat and shuttled the ball wide on the left to Billy King.
The winger played in Scott McDonald but the striker’s goalbound effort was blocked by Livi skipper Craig Halkett and cleared.
Two minutes later and the Lions were roaring.
Lee Miller was bundled over by Mohsni on the halfway line to earn a free-kick, despite the former Rangers defender’s best protestations.
Jacobs floated a superb set-piece to the heart of a jittery United rearguard where Declan Gallagher nodded it back across goal – and Lithgow had the simplest of tasks to nod in from virtually on the line.
United looked stunned and took time to recover but drew back level on the night in the 21st minute.
They first threatened three minutes before when Fraser came alive 40 yards from goal before threading a superb ball into the feet of McDonald.
But Halkett produced a stunning block on the ex-Celtic man’s drive before Lithgow headed clear the follow-up effort.
The Livi defence had no response though as the Tangerines grabbed the equaliser they so desperately needed.
McDonald found Fraser’s penetrating run into the home box and the playmaker twisted one way and then the other before drilling his left-foot shot across Neil Alexander and into the far corner of the net. The
LIVI WIN 4-3 ON AGG
goal gave United all the momentum and, driven on by the magnificent McDonald, they piled bodies forward at every opportunity.
The Livi defence wobbled at times but held firm until the sanctuary of half-time as the Tannadice men peppered the home side’s goalmouth with corners and crosses.
The teams resumed their frenetic pace at the start of the second half.
And just a minute in the Lions came within a whisker of going ahead on the night for a second time.
Scott Pittman – scorer of one of Livi’s three crucial goals on Friday – worked himself free and suddenly bore down on Harry Lewis in the United goal.
But the midfielder looked on in despair as his right-foot drive cannoned back off the post before being booted to safety.
King saw a left-foot drive tipped round the post by Alexander as United sought the goal that would pull them level in the tie.
And as they ramped up the pressure Thomas Mikkelsen’s netbound effort was blocked by the ever-dependable Lithgow.
Then King’s shot was deflected over as the Tangerines swarmed forward.
As the seconds ticked away, the
noise in the stadium got louder as the consequences of defeat became more real for United.
The visiting fans were off their seats with 13 minutes left as King got a clear sight at goal but his low shot was held at full stretch by Alexander.
With full-time approaching there was still time for more drama.
First, sub Scott Robinson crashed a drive off the bar with his first involvement off the bench.
Then McDonald could only find Alexander’s legs from close range after replacement Matty Smith found him with a low cross from the right.