Livi v County

Biggest game of the season for us here, a win takes us right away from the bottom two scrap and right in the mix for a top 6 spot, which was unthinkable a few weeks ago.

Hungbo and Charles-Cook give me the fear in this game, esp as we defend narrow and allow wingers the freedom of our flanks, they're a very gung ho attacking team, but they've conceded a hell of a lot of goals too, so expect us to be scoring goals against them. Hopefully Anderson will start again, if there is any team he'll get a chance of scoring goals against it's County.

Think there will be 3 or more goals in this game, 2-1 or 3-2 Livi is my guess, mon the Lions, lets widen the gap on this mob.

Hibs beat Dundee 1-0 tonight, good result for us, keeping us above Dundee.

Massive game for us on Saturday,in the context of the murmurings of the possibility of the season being curtailed due to the continuing pandemic.Vital we get as many points on the board in the event of this scenario. I've seen County a few times and this will be no walkover.However if we are at the top of our game I believe we will prevail and get those all important points in the bag.Weve beaten them already and if we're up for this can do so again.Should be a decent atmosphere and I for one can't wait.Bring it on.Cmon Livi, do it..

We should be more than capable of sending them back home pointless…but I’ve got the fear… & unfortunately I can see them turning us over

We need to watch Hungbo and Charles-Cook. I suppose there will be the usual diving too. They will have to make the most of accepted knowledge, especially among referees, that Livi are a physical team.
It won't be an easy game that's for sure.

Yeh Orco.Theve a couple of guys who can hurt us.Hopefully we're on our game to nullify them and make home advantage count.Confident that we will.Cmon the Lions.Do it for the weans. .

A truly dreadful game. I don’t think we had a shot on target until Devlin hit one straight at the keeper, who must have been in danger of hypothermia he had so little to do.

Over the 90 minutes both teams were rank so a draw was probably a fair result but having gone behind we really did not do enough to deserve an equaliser. We squandered most of the openings with pitiful shots, crosses & headers (Fitz headed over 3 times with the goal at his mercy & Obileye headed wide with the goal at his mercy but thankfully managed to squeeze it in at the back post to salvage a point that looked unsalvageable only seconds earlier.

The County goal was a great strike but our defending was abysmal.

Thankfully St Johnstone & Dundee both lost.

Yeh,agree Nick.Omenga was played too deep for most of the game.Nicky hardly had a sniff to do what he normally does.Was a belter from the County guy for their goal Max had no chance.Why Anderson Bailey and Pitts came on so late baffles me.Striking options which would have givin us a better chance.Only Davie knows,but we saw it and how the coaching staff didn't when the chance was there to win the game.Thankfully big Obiley rescued us but felt like a defeat for me.At least the weans got to see a goal albeit fortiously.Not sure how many will drag their parents along again after that.And just to compound my day,chucked out of the stadium bar at 5 45.Aye,merry Xmas Livi..

Thought we were the better team but for some reason deferred any opportunity to shoot at their goal, and then County hit us with a worldy just before HT.

County started their time wasting even before the game resumed for the 2nd half, letting our players, and officials, stand out in the cold damp pitch a good 5 mins before they came out. They weren't interested in playing any form of attacking football after they scored, and it came back to bite them in the arse, though it did look like we could've played all night and not scored, but thankfully Obileye got us an equaliser. Then Holt almost grabbed all 3pts with a 25 yarder hitting the top of the bar. He's due one from that range, almost scored against Hearts too but Gordon tipped it onto the bar.

I've said it before but we're not setting ourselves up with an attacking front 3 when all 3 are midfielders, Shinnie & Sibbs aren't goal scoring players, Anderson & Bailey are, they both scored against County in the last game too, so why are we keeping them from the starting line up?

I suspect DM is rotating the starting players because of the heavy schedule but IMO he is often guilty of overthinking it & he should stick to playing to our strengths. The failure to work their keeper with shots on goal/target was very poor play on our part, they looked dodgy at the back but we didn’t put them under severe pressure.

I thought County had looked the better side for the first 15-20 mins but then they fell away & we were on top without creating anything. The first half seemed to be drifting to a goal-less conclusion when Obileye faffed around instead of clearing it & it eventually broke to the lad who scored… so doubly glad he made up for that error by grabbing the equaliser just when it looked like the second half would end without any further scoring. If we had played the earlier part of the match the way we did after equalising we would probably have won.

All in all an opportunity missed & so typical for it to happen after 2 good wins against sides that are substantially better than County.

Auld Nick wrote:I suspect DM is rotating the starting players because of the heavy schedule but IMO he is often guilty of overthinking it & he should stick to playing to our strengths. The failure to work their keeper with shots on goal/target was very poor play on our part, they looked dodgy at the back but we didn’t put them under severe pressure.

I thought County had looked the better side for the first 15-20 mins but then they fell away & we were on top without creating anything. The first half seemed to be drifting to a goal-less conclusion when Obileye faffed around instead of clearing it & it eventually broke to the lad who scored… so doubly glad he made up for that error by grabbing the equaliser just when it looked like the second half would end without any further scoring. If we had played the earlier part of the match the way we did after equalising we would probably have won.

All in all an opportunity missed & so typical for it to happen after 2 good wins against sides that are substantially better than County.

It was Penrice that didn't clear it properly.

I watched the highlights to check my recollection of the goal - Obileye had the opportunity to clear it or knock it out of play but failed to do it & lost the ball (that’s the mistake I’m talking about) Forest & Obileye then failed to block the cross (that’s another mistake as 2 guys on 1 should have managed that) allowing the ball to come in which was blocked & Penrice then cleared (agreed he could have done better) but which fell for Cancola & as usual no one closed him down quickly enough to prevent the shot. McMillan did move towards him but did so much too passively. Arguably Max should have done better as he got a hand to it but I suspect the shot was hit so well & with such a bend on it that he really couldn’t do much more than he did.

So I stand my earlier comment, it was Obileye’s mistake that gave them the chance, if he had played the ball to safety rather than try to control it then the chance wouldn’t have developed.

In the end the draw & other results mean no real harm done but it is an opportunity missed because County were there for the taking.

Auld Nick wrote:I watched the highlights to check my recollection of the goal - Obileye had the opportunity to clear it or knock it out of play but failed to do it & lost the ball (that’s the mistake I’m talking about) Forest & Obileye then failed to block the cross (that’s another mistake as 2 guys on 1 should have managed that) allowing the ball to come in which was blocked & Penrice then cleared (agreed he could have done better) but which fell for Cancola & as usual no one closed him down quickly enough to prevent the shot. McMillan did move towards him but did so much too passively. Arguably Max should have done better as he got a hand to it but I suspect the shot was hit so well & with such a bend on it that he really couldn’t do much more than he did.

So I stand my earlier comment, it was Obileye’s mistake that gave them the chance, if he had played the ball to safety rather than try to control it then the chance wouldn’t have developed.

In the end the draw & other results mean no real harm done but it is an opportunity missed because County were there for the taking.

Aye still ended up at Penrice's feet, and a poor effort to clear it set up the goal. Was about the last kick of the ball too, all he had to do was boot it up towards the halfway line.

At the time i thought Stryjek was saving it, got a hand to it, but not strong enough, scunner of a goal to concede because they looked very poor in attack. If only we'd have taken some shots ourselves in the first half, even Holt passed up a good chance and passed it sideways instead, and he has a decent shot on him, as he showed against Hearts, then again later in this game when he hit the bar.

Relieved we got the draw in the end, as we couldn't afford to let County close the gap to 2 pts, and good to see Dundee and St Johnstone lost too, so a point gained for us. Need to get back to the same energy and press as we did against Hearts and Hibs for our next games in December, if covid doesn't shut football down again anyway.

My point is, if Ayo plays it safe then the move breaks down before it gets to Penrice, therefore it is Ayo’s mistake. Ayo could have cleared it but either tried to control it or mistimed his attempt to clear, either way it’s a mistake. As you say it was almost half time so the most sensible thing was to make it safe, Ayo didn’t & Ross continued with their attack, as I said there were subsequent errors but his is the first, he’s also involved in the second error with Forrest in failing to prevent the cross. The player that then blocks the cross & prevents the scoring chance does his job & Penrice at least tries to clear it, granted he doesn’t get it far enough but it still took an outstanding shot to score that Cancola hasn’t previously shown he had in his locker… and no one closes h8m down quick enough, so there is a catalogue of errors but if Ayo does his job in the first instance, the rest doesn’t happen.