Falkirk v Livi - 13/07/19

Troy wrote:Well at least the goalie redeemed himself after that howler at the end.Both teams had chances but as L/F says we should have perhaps had the game done and dusted earlier.Like most i still feel we need another striker who would help Dykes who looks really promising for us with a little help beside him.See Ayr have obviously got their shooting boots on albiet who they were up against.Makes for an interesting game on Tues night.Anyway well done Livi,2 points on the board is better than none although should have been 3.We move on.

Wouldn't really call it a howler. Sarkic goes to block the shot for the Falkirk play but the Falkirk scuffs it so has to readjust himself as the ball blooms up into the air. Getting back to his feet he should have probably punched the ball rather than tried to catch it.

That being said McMillan should have got in-between the Falkirk player and the goal instead of trying hard to give away a penalty. Likewise Sammon was unmarked and yet both Lithgow and Pepe were within a few feet of him.

Sarkic made the wrong choice but he wasn't alone.

More than anything I think we need another defender. With Devlin and Odoffin injured I was really concerned when it looked like Pepe had picked up a knock in the first half or even the time when Lamie got tackled at chest height about 15 minutes into the game. We had literally no-one to replace them. Well actually that's not entirely true; we've still got Henk Van Schaik but he hasn't appeared in any of the friendlies despite making the trip to the training camp and being at the Alloa game as a spectator - maybe he's also injured?

TBF nobody was marking Sammon cause he was being played offside.

Liviforever wrote:TBF nobody was marking Sammon cause he was being played offside.

A pretty lame excuse not to mark a player because you think he is offside; you certainly should never let a opposition striker run around your goal mouth area ; you never know where everyone else stands; if someone's playing him onside etc.

I agree there's really no way Sammon is in an onside position; Lamie; who was one of the deepest player at the corner is already on his way back. The ball seems to cannon off Lithgow and then bounce of either the Falkirk player or McMillen. At that stage the referee may have considered that Sammon may not have been interfering with play. If he then considers that Sarkic has both hands on the ball and "is in control" then it enters a different section of the game. If a goalkeepers has control of the ball but drops it; an opposition player can contest the ball even if he is in an offside position.

That being said I was always told that to be considered to have control of the ball; the goalkeeper had to have both feet on the ground which Sarkic certainly didnt... I think.

All in all it doesn't really matter provided the side can learn from it. The last couple of years were learnt a lot from this stage of the Betfred; even last year under Miller most o us already knew he shouldn't be leaving Lithgow out.

That's what defenders are meant to do though, hold a line and play strikers offside, none of them made a claim for it right enough, that is something they usually all do whether they are onside or not, stick their arms up and get the linesman to do his bloody job.

Keeper should've punched the ball instead of trying to catch it but that's bye the bye, best get these things sorted during the Betfred cup rather than the league, still seems like part of pre season this, and it is good to get the players sharpened right up in competitive games for the league starting.

Another thing that is annoying, the amount of high feet Falkirk players got away with, they got a yellow for one but another 2 should've been punished, and not with just a yellow. Dykes is a tall lad and got kicked in the face when heading through on goal, ref just waved play on cause he would've had to get a red card out.

Liviforever wrote:That's what defenders are meant to do though, hold a line and play strikers offside, none of them made a claim for it right enough, that is something they usually all do whether they are onside or not, stick their arms up and get the linesman to do his bloody job.

Keeper should've punched the ball instead of trying to catch it but that's bye the bye, best get these things sorted during the Betfred cup rather than the league, still seems like part of pre season this, and it is good to get the players sharpened right up in competitive games for the league starting.

Another thing that is annoying, the amount of high feet Falkirk players got away with, they got a yellow for one but another 2 should've been punished, and not with just a yellow. Dykes is a tall lad and got kicked in the face when heading through on goal, ref just waved play on cause he would've had to get a red card out.

Could be he left his red card in the dressing room. I agree though; if it had been Byrne he would have been off.