QP v Livi

Huge game for us, a win would be massive for us. I feel we must take something from this game with us having Rovers and EF in the next 7 days following this one, another defeat to QP and it could get very close between us and Alloa.

I think Todorov has to play at some point in this game, he brushed 3 Airdrie defenders aside as if they weren't there, and QP have solid defenders which we've struggled against, he could be key to us opening up their defence. Cadden and Mullin would also be important, getting down the wings and getting balls into the box, in our last game at Hampden we rarely used the width of the big pitch to get in behind them, and the one time we did whip in a decent ball Mullin got on the end of it and scored (although the incompetent Lino ruled it offside).

I'll wait till the end of next week before making my prediction, struggling to see us coming away with a win against them so need a few days to let my optimism build up enough for me to predict a Livi win.

Yeah, I said earlier in the season that the weather would have a big say in our title challenge, I forecast us struggling in poor conditions. The next 3 games could make or break our season. Many folk have had us almost guaranteed the title but we need at least a couple of wins out of the next three games.

QP 1 Liv 0 FG 63 mins

I think we've pretty much got it in the bag, even if we lose all 3 games Alloa still have to win all of theirs, and that hasn't happened all season. The teams we've dropped points to Alloa and Airdrie have also dropped points against. I'd just rather see us keeping a double figure points gap on Alloa and having a chance to extend that once we're past these 3 games. It's about time we're beating QP too, and this would be an ideal time to do it.

It is unquestionably ours to throw away but 3 defeats in our next 3 games could become a turning point for the entire season. Now is the time for the guys to right the wrongs of the 5 unacceptable performances & results against these 3 teams & make a definitive statement to the rest of the division that we are head and shoulders above them all.

You get into the dressing room pre match and get them told Bertie, they need to get right in about QP and blow them away in the first half hour.

We have been overrun in midfield by both QP and EF in games this season, pressing us all over the pitch and forcing mistakes, we need to be playing with a high tempo and doing the same to them.

Agreed, get it right up 'em... They don't like it up 'em

QP have lost their last 2 games (Alloa & Brechin), and will hopefully have put in a hard shift on Brechin's heavy pitch, so confidence will be a bit low and they'll tire late on in this game. We need to get out of the blocks quickly though and not look ring rusty with us not playing for a fortnight. If they get a goal in the first half because we're lethargic they'll park the bus and ir'll be all the more difficult for us to break their defence down.


That's Alloa beaten both QP and East Fife too so we can't get away with slipping up against those teams this time. We should be going into this game like we do in the Airdrie, Brechin & Alloa ones, and  show them we are here to win the game.

Got my dander up for this game, hopefully our players will be feeling the same. 2-0 Livi, fg 33 mins.

Queens Park 1. Livingston 2. FG 48 mins.

Got a good feeling about this one - 2-0 Livi, FG 34 mins.

2-1 Livi, FG 21 mins

We are about to enter the buisness side of this seasons campaigne and are in a terrific position.No doubt Gus Macpherson will have his team well organised so it is up to us to break them down by going at them the way we did against Airdrie.Ive said it before the first goal could be crucial here and hopefully we will get it.Not sure if any of our upcoming home games will get the go ahead due to more bad weather coming our way so accordingly 3 points here would be massive and keep the momentum going during this trying period.Go get it Livi,its yours for the taking!!!

Good start with Pittman scoring but QP equalise.

For some reason Alloa's game is off so we could do with winning this as it is effectively our game in hand

Seemed too compact a starting line up with both Mullin and Cadden on the bench, was the same the first time we played them, didn't really use the big pitch to get down the wings and get in behind their defence. Mullin on now though so maybe Hopkin was gambling keeping him for a late sub against tiring players. Hope it works.

Todorov on too so we're going for it now.

A win would be fantastic with Alloa not playing, and Airdrie getting beat.

A few soft bookings here, the ref seems to be a tad card happy, 5 Livi players booked.

1-1 FT.

Suppose a point is better than none, and we at least didn't lose this time.

A point gained or two dropped?

When you consider it was against a team that has beaten us twice it is more a point gained and has moved us 7 points clear, with our game in hand against Rovers on Tues. Hopefully we can go 10 points clear and it will have been a good start to our fixture congested month.

With Alloa not playing this WAS our game in hand.

Apologies, I stand corrected, I hadn't realised we had 2 in hand before kick off

Bertie Bassett wrote:With Alloa not playing this WAS our game in hand.

Apologies, I stand corrected, I hadn't realised we had 2 in hand before kick off

That's 5 games undefeated now too, we'd have lost a game in that sequence earlier in the season, though we'd prob have won 4 out of the 5 too. But if we keep on being undefeated we'll stay ahead of Alloa and eventually win the league. Could do with the 3 points on Tues though, just to get back to being double figures ahead. Massive game, just hope Hopkin gets us set out right to give us our best chance of beating them. He was far to compact in midfield today and also needed to get Cadden on sooner.

I don't understand his reluctance to use width on wide pitches

Its another tough game out of the way and we are still clear at the summit.The normal Livi way is to make it harder for ourselves and you can bet there will be one or two shakey moments before the end of the season.Your right L/F tuesdays game is massive for us if its on.Rovers have hit a poor patch at the moment as their league position would suggest although we wont want to look to much into that.Anyway another point on the board and we move on to Tuesday.Cant wait.

The forecast is looking promising for us getting the game on Troy.

It was a stroke of luck seeing the Alloa game postponed, they could've closed the gap to 4 points if they had played and started putting a bit of pressure on us. That's why we have to beat Rovers on Tues, for the same reason, having a 10 points gap will have huge psychological advantage over Alloa.

I felt the game yesterday was very flat and at times frustrating. There was the usual tactic of high balls to short forwards. At least when Toderov came on (too late) there was someone to aim at. Queens Park started the better team and when we scored it was against the run of play. Tbh I thought for long spells we looked like a team that hadn't played in two weeks. Queens Park looked slicker and worked harder. They were finding their players better than we were. In the final twenty minutes or so we did have some good efforts but it would have been unfair to Queens if we had won. A draw was the fairest result.

My usual wee word about the referee and the customary inconsistency. I might add that he didn't really influence the score. However looking at the 5 Livi bookings it may have seemed we had been overly physical. This was not the case. I had no problem with Lithgow's for a bit of retaliation and Longmuir was foolish to thump the ball down angrily when he disagrees about an incorrect throw in decision. The other three were uncalled for. Toderov had only been on a few minutes when he jumped for a ball with an outstretched arm, as big players often do, yet a yellow card was given. Queens Park seemed immune to the same kind of sanction.

Still £2 for a concession wasn't bad. Rather have paid more and got a win tho.

Bertie Bassett wrote:I don't understand his reluctance to use width on wide pitches

Stretches the opposition out, leaving gaps in their box to defend and we have at least two wingers who can put in a decent cross from the edge of a pitch. Having a narrow midfield puts more strain on our two FBs, considering one of them isn't a natural FB who lacks the pace to be competent in the position.

As others have said, we didn't create anything other than the goal and the header tipped wide by the keeper. Maybe it wasn't so much we were poor, more so Queen's Park were just organised and solid. I would usually be a critic of Hopkin's tactics but its got to that point of the season where he isn't going to change and we're still well on course to win the league with relative ease.

Nice goal by Livi, wee flick on by Rafa and Pittman making the run to get on the end of it for a tap in, lovely.