Worthy winner decides points

A stunning last kick of the ball free-kick from Gemma Mason saw Livingston Women pick up a 2-1 victory over Ayr United and jump above them into fifth in the Championship South table, writes Angus McGregor.

Captain Vicky Wood and vice-captain Fiona Boslem returned to the side with the former rattling the crossbar early doors after Ayr had already done the same at the other end of the park.

Charlotte Ferguson was called into action and made a fine save to keep the scores level but was unable to stop a wonderful 30-yard effort that flew into the net to give the visitors the lead.

That goal served as a wake-up call with both Natasha Frew and Shannon Mulligan going close.

Ashley Fish was introduced early in the second half and partnered Jen Dodds up front and it almost paid immediate dividends as Fish’s tenacity saw her win the ball and tee up Dodds, who could only hit the post.

She wouldn’t have to wait too long to make amends as the resulting corner fell to her just two yards out to bag her 14th goal of the season.

The hosts would go on to dominate the remainder of the fixture.

It looked as though it was going to be one of those days for the Lionesses as Jess Murphy saw her header hit the bar while Fish saw her follow-up effort cleared off the line.

Rebecca Jaconelli would then see her effort blocked by Dodds when it was heading goalwards as the game looked set to end in a draw.

Livi were offered one final chance when they were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box.

Up stepped Mason to perfectly place her strike into the top right-hand corner of the net –with the referee instantly blowing the full-time whistle to spark scenes of delight among the Livi players, coaching staff and fans.

Coach Jordan Forrester was full of praise for how the side reacted from a disappointing first half, saying:“We were thrilled to get the win and it was real jubilation at the final whistle.

“We didn’t play too well in the first half to be honest and we gave the ball away cheaply for their goal, albeit it was a really good finish.

“The girls deserve huge credit for the way they stuck at it in the second half because Ayr were making it difficult for us to break them down, but we got our rewards in the end with a brilliant free-kick to win it.”