The Don of a new era as Glass’s men shatter Livi
Derek Mcinnes watched on from the television gantry as Livi took successor Stephen Glass all the way on his reintroduction to the Scottish game.
Out of work after parting company with the Dons at the beginning of March, Mcinnes took up an offer from broadcasters BT to do a bit of punditry on the tie.
And what he witnessed was a reminder of the stresses of the post he filled for eight years and which have now fallen squarely on the shoulders of the new man.
Glass, who jetted in from the States last week, saw his new players taken all the way to a penalty shoot-out.
That after he lost skipper Joe Lewis to a freak injury in the first half and had his replacement, Gary Woods, concede just seconds after going on to the pitch.
But with Lewis Ferguson, Florian Kamberi, Callum Hendry, Dean Campbell and
Ross Mccrorie all perfect from the spot and Livi midfielder Jason Holt hitting the woodwork, they finally saw off their spirited opponents 5-3.
The tie was fiercely contested from the off with Jay Emmanuel-thomas’s muscular challenge on Jonny Hayes forcing the Irishman to walk it off.
That set the tone and within a couple of minutes it was the turn of Livingston full-back Jackson Longridge to hit the ground.
Aberdeen were the first to put anything creative of note together – though they did get a hand from the visitors.
Jason Holt was caught in possession in midfield and lost the ball to Lewis Ferguson, who spread it wide left to Hayes who in turn drove a low cross into the middle of the box. Connor Mclennan was alive to the plan because he darted across from the right to meet it. He got a good contact on the ball but opened up his foot too much and sent his shot wide. Joe Lewis was winded in an early collision with Jon Guthrie who fell into the keeper as he went up to collect the ball. Although he played on for a while, he was clearly not right because he indicated to the bench he would have to come off.
That handed a debut to Gary Woods, ex of Hamilton Accies and up on loan from Oldham.
The 30-year-old Englishman did not get time to catch his breath before he had to pick the ball out of the net.
To be fair to him, Livingston’s goal was more than decent. Emmanuel-thomas darted in from the right and played a neat one–two with Scott Pittman who delayed just long enough before playing the big striker in.
Eight yards out and with only Woods to beat, he shot low into the corner of the net.
The goal was against the run of play but it gave a lift to the game, adding urgency to the play of both teams.
Glass freshened up things in his forward line by throwing on Callum Hendry and Florian Kamberi in place of Mclennan and Hornby.
And he got his reward for his enterprise, with Aberdeen drawing level.
Counter-attacking on a Livi move, Hayes dashed down the Dons left and sent the ball across the face of the box.
Guthrie hung his leg out in an unsuccessful attempt to clear. Left with time and space, Mcginn finished in style, curling the ball into the top corner.
Extra time got off to an explosive start with goals from Emmanuel-thomas, a penalty after he had been fouled by Campbell, and Kamberi, from close range, but settled down and it took a shoot-out to settle it.
ABERDEEN:
4-4-2 Lewis 5 (Woods 36 6); Mccrorie 6, Hoban 6, Considine 6, Hayes 6; Kennedy 6, Ferguson 6, Campbell 6, Mclennan 5 (Hendry 72 5); Hornby 5 (Kamberi 61 6), Mcginn 9 (Ross 105 6). Unused substitutes – Woods, Ritchie, Mcgeouch, Ruth, Ramsay, Duncan.
LIVINGSTON:
4-2-3-1 Stryjek 8; Devlin 7, Fitzwater 6 (Taylor-sinclair 108 5), Guthrie 5, Longridge 6 (Mcmillan 108 5); Bartley 6, Sibbald 6; Holt 6, Pittman 7, Forrest 6 (Poplatnik 84 5); Emmanuel-thomas 7. Unused substitutes – Mccrorie, Lithgow, Ambrose, Mullin, Kabia, Diani.