The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lions see off dogged Loons as Weir laments poor spell
Livingston edge past Forfar but League 1 side had chance to punish Premiership team at Station Park
Forfar manager Jim Weir says his players will be reflecting on a case of what might have been after their 2-1 loss to Livingston in the Betfred Cup.
The Loons gaffer was adamant that a 10-15 minute spell at the start of the second half had cost his side a gilt-edged chance of being in the quarter-finals of the league cup for the first time in 33 years.
“I think when the opposition are shouting for the final whistle and asking how much added time there is, you know you are still in the game,” he said.
“I was happy at half time. I thought we’d got into some good areas although Marc (McCallum) had a couple of really top saves. You would expect with the conditions against us and Livingston’s style of play we would be up against it. I thought until their set plays we had defended really well, with those saves from Marc.
“But what I wasn’t happy with was the 15 minute after the break when I felt it was like we stayed in the changing rooms. That’s where they got their second goal from. I had said to the players, go out and win the second half and you have a real chance. But our start really put us on the back foot.
“I can’t fault them for their effort but I’m a wee bit disappointed. I think if we had started the second half better it could have been a very different story.”
The tongue lashing that Livingston boss Gary Holt gave his own side at the interval tells its own story too, and there is no doubt Forfar failed to capitalise against a Premiership side that could have been there for the taking.
Dale Hilson caught Livi square at the back early on and stole in on goal before firing in a dipping shot from a tight angle that Matija Sarkic just tipped behind for a corner.
The keeper again made a brilliant save from the flag kick, pushing a goal-bound header from Michael Travis on to the corner of post and bar.
Livingston responded in the 15th minute and Aymen Souda was twice denied, first by the crossbar when his flicked header cannoned back off, then by a great save from McCallum as the rebound broke back to the French-born forward.
McCallum was again called into action to turn a low, bobbling shot from Lyndon Dykes round the foot of his post.
Forfar’s Ross Forbes replied in kind, with two low but powerful shots that the keeper did well to get behind.
Play swung end to end and Livi won a free-kick 23 yards out dead centre. The ball was curled round the wall but McCallum got down well to push it behind.
The breakthrough came in the 33rd minute when Dykes got to a Steven Lawless corner from the right and glanced a header across a busy box and into the net.
Lawless thought he had doubled Livi’s lead three minutes from the break with a snapshot from the edge of the box, but McCallum again got down at full stretch to palm the ball behind.
Dykes really should have stretched the visitors’ lead at the start of the second half when the ball bounced kindly for him in the Forfar box but he shot straight into the keeper.
Scott Pittman didn’t make the same mistake a few minutes later when he made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute, steering his shot into the bottom corner.
It should have been all over in the 61st minute but for an incredible miss from Dykes who somehow screwed wide a Nicky Devlin ball across the face of goal.
Instead, Forfar dragged themselves back into the tie a minute later thanks to the dogged determination of Hilson and some cool finishing. The Forfar forward robbed Alan Lithgow just outside the centre circle and bore down on goal, drawing Sarkic then slotting the ball home. There were more close calls at both ends but Livi held on to progress.
Their manager was pleased to progress but said the level of performance from the Lions was just not up to scratch.
Holt said: “I’m pleased we are through, but was it an acceptable performance? No it was not.”