Livingston v Brechin City
Tuesday 1st February
Scottish Division 2
For the first time this season we are being chauffeured to the ground. There is no free parking at the Livingston ground, the name of which rolls off the tongue - Braidwood Motor Company Stadium. They do offer parking but they charge you £5 for the privilege. As a result of this my dad has kindly asked if Emma would be willing to drive us out to the ground and perhaps invite herself round to her friend Susie's. Luckily for my dad and I Susie is free and more than happy to have a guest round for dinner.
I pick Emma up from work in our trusty little motor and we make our way over to Cramond to pick my dad up at 6.30pm. I find it more than a little amusing when we pull up on time and find that my dad isn't quite ready.
We're off to witness a top of the table clash between League 2's Livingston and Brechin City. Should be a good game as Livingston are unbeaten at home this season and Brechin City are unbeaten away from home during the same time. If Brechin win they'll join their opponents at the top of the table. If the home side win then they'll go six points clear.
Emma drops us off near the ground about 7.15pm and we make our way over to the club shop. My dad buys a Livingston FC pin badge to add to his growing collection of League side pin badges and I pick up tonight's team sheet. We nip outside and it's my turn for the pre-match photo.
We make our way into the ground and I head straight for the refreshment stand for our Scotch pie dinner. Looking up at the prices I can't believe that for the second game in a row I'm going to have to fork out £2.00 per pie. It better be up too, if not better than the Tannadice effort.
When the girl behind the counter hands me our pies I can tell straight away that I've just wasted £4. They both look bone dry.
We take our seats before we tuck in. It's a nice wee stadium, all seated and all decked out in Livinstone yellow.
Back to the pie and we can safely say that it is by far the worst yet. It is rock bloody solid, hard enough to have your teeth out. It has very very little filling and is bloody roasting. Check the photo out above for evidence of how poor it is.
It's difficult to see if there are any Brechin fans in tonight as all the supporters are sat on the same side on the ground. Even if we could see them we couldn't hear them over the tannoy, which must be turned up to eleven, and the boy up the back banging his big bloody drum. The games not even started yet mate, shut the hell up!
Livingston kick off and they're in to their stride pretty quickly, they stroke the ball about well and are keen to get the ball out to their wingers.
The first chance falls to Livingston when from a free kick, Kenny 'the doctor' Deuchar sends a weak header goal wards which is easily saved by the Brechin keeper Nelson.
Brechin's Janczyk is got dozing on the ball and Iain Russell nicks the ball off him in midfield ten minutes in. He takes a few strides forward and then unleashes a shot which is just over, if it had been on target Nelson wouldn't have got anywhere near it.
Brechin's centre forward Rory McAllister is putting himself about a bit and he reacts in child like fashion when a decision goes against. He charges at the linesman , gets right up in his face and bawls at him. The home fans are raging and think he must get a card for such petulance and are disappointed to see him only get a talking to.
Brechin's first chance game after seventeen minutes when a Cook cross was headed by McAllister but it was easily saved by Bulloch. A quick free kick four minutes later by Janczyk almost catches the home side out but McKenna blasted wide.
After a period of pressure Brechin kick the ball out to safety and as the home player went to pick the ball up the Brechin manager, Jim Weir, boots the ball into the stand to prevent the quick through in. Again the home fans are livid when the referee just gives him a talking to.
Twenty five minutes in and Livingston score a brilliant goal. Iain Russell picked off a poor Cook pass about thirty yards from goal, looks up takes one step and smashes an unstoppable shot which sails over Nelson and in to the top corner.
McAllister does nothing to change the way the home fans feel about him when he throws himself to the floor under the merest of touches.
Brechin think they've equalised ten minutes before half time when they score with a header from a corner but joy is short lived as the referee blows for a push on a defender inside the six yard box.
Russell nearly doubles the Lions lead on the five minutes before the break. Great work on the wing by Bobby Barr leads to the ball being played into the box and it's only an amazing blocking tackle by McLean prevents the second goal.
A boy behind us shouts It's just like watching Brazil!
Referee Richmond makes a series of strange decisions in the final few minutes before half time and my dad reckons he must of been to the Brian Winter School of Refereeing.
At half time I ask my dad to nip down and get us two more pies, he looks at me like I'm mental and asks are you sure you really want to put yourself through that again? I'm willing to give them a second chance, surely they can't sell me two rock solid pies in one evening. They bloody well did the bastards! In fact this one is even worse than the first!
The second half starts and Brechin's Redman has himself a good run on goal but his shot is well wild.
Up in the other end of the park and Deuchar plays a great headed pass in to Russell and he must score, instead he balloons it well over the bar. That's been the easiest chance of the game so far.
Every time the home side have the ball they look threatening and the pace of their two wingers is put to use often. This pace is shown when Russell makes a lightening quick break when a Brechin corner is cleared. He races the full length of the park but he holds on to the ball just that bit too long before trying to play Barr in and the chance is gone.
The Livi fans in the corner are in full voice shouting Forza Livi and continue to wind up McAllister with a burst of 'number 9, number 9, number 9, wank, wank, wank'. It was quite amusing really.
Livingston are in complete control of this game but are still only the one goal up with half an hour to go. A Barr corner is headed on goal by Deuchar and Nelson pushed the ball away, the ball breaks to the edge of the box and a second cross in to the box is headed goal wards by Watson and again Nelson makes the save.
McAllister then finds himself blocked on two occasions both times look like a foul but nothing is given, he reacts by having another childish strop and again the home fans are screaming for a card. Moments later McAllister's frustration gets the better of him when he throws his marker to the ground and this time the referee does reach for his pocket for a yellow card. And then a red. I'm a little surprised but my dad tells me that he was in fact booked earlier in the game.
There are still twenty minutes left.
Brechin's Archdeacon tries a cheeky wee lob from the edge of the area but Bulloch gets back to tip it over for a corner.
Livingston substitute Robbie Winters, ex-Aberdeen, plays a good one two with Russell but he mis-kicks his shot straight at the keeper.
With nine minutes left Brechin are reduced to nine men when McLauchlan is sent off for a professional foul on Barr. The wee left winger was away, McLauchlan was the last man and he had to go for his blatant trip.
You would have thought that Brechin's chances of getting anything from the game would have evaporated with this decision but three minutes from time they send a free kick into the heart of the home penalty box and Hill manages to get his head to the ball. Unfortunately he can do nothing more than flick the ball just wide of the target.
In the last of the ninety minutes Winters latches on to another Barr cross and chips the ball over the keeper into the bottom corner. The second goal is well deserved as the home side have been the better side all evening. The home fans celebrate with a burst of 'We're too good for this division'.
The final whistle goes. All in all it's been an entertaining game of football, the home fans have enjoyed themselves and I'll know never to order a Scotch Pie here ever again.
The Statistics
Ticket: £12 Adult, £6 Concession
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 847
Pie: £2.00
Pie Marks: 4 / 10 - worst yet!
Mileage:
Final Score: Livingston 1 v Brechin City 0
Fascinating Fact of the Day: Livingston were originally called Ferranti Thistle, a works team from the Ferranti Engineering Company and played in the East of Scotland League. When they won admission to the senior leagues, strict rules on advertising meant they had to change their name. Meadowbank Thistle was chosen. They played under this guise until 1994-95 when their Chairman decided the club had to move to Livingston to combat financial difficulties and the name was changed once again.
Next Game: Broadwood Stadium (Clyde)
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