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LIVINGSTON 3–0 COVE RANGERS

A goal midway through the first half, and a late Tete Yengi double, booked Livi’s place in the quarter-finals, but the boys put on an impressive showing at Almondvale, and had they been more clinical, it might have been a different story.

We created a host of chances against the Championship title contenders, but were unable to find the net, and exit the competition at the fifth round stage for the second successive year.

With Adam Emslie having been recalled by Aberdeen, Paul Hartley was forced into changing his line-up for the first time in six games.

Ever-presents Mikey Doyle, Ryan Harrington and Connor Scully each made their thirtieth starts of the campaign, and there were welcome returns for Liam Parker – out since the end of August – and Will Gillingham, who had missed the last five matches.

Both were on the bench with fit-again Blair Yule restored to the starting line-up for the first time since November 30^th.

In front of a sizeable Cove support, Fraser Fyvie got the game underway, but the home side were quickly on the attack, Montano winning a corner which was cleared comfortably enough.

Livi maintained the early pressure, Nick Suman snuffing out the danger by confidently catching a second corner soon after.

The Championship promotion hopefuls continued to dominate possession, but the boys were working hard to close them down, ensuring there were no clear cut sights of goal, and always keen to try to break away.

Stevie May did get in behind in the thirteenth minute, but Mikey Doyle was alert, and deflected his effort behind for another corner. May threatened again shortly after, his twenty yard strike coming off Yule and spinning wide of the left post.

Clever work by Mitch Megginson saw him move clear on the left flank, but with Fraser Fyvie waiting in the middle, McGowan was able to divert the cross behind. From the short corner, the ball was fed back by Glass to Fyvie, the skipper’s shot charged down in the area.

Live broke the deadlock in the twenty-fifth minute. Dylan Lobban was penalised for a late challenge on Fraser a couple of yards from the bye-line, and when McAlear whipped in the free-kick, Ryan McGOWAN hooked home from close range.

We went in search of an immediate equaliser with Findlay Marshall threading through an excellent pass for Lobban to run on to, his cut-back swept away by Wilson. Fyvie then played through an incisive pass for Marshall who raced in behind, his low angled shot saved by Prior.

It was a strong response by the boys, and another breakaway saw Megginson free on the right, but the keeper smothered his delivery with Fyvie straining to get a touch.

Ten minutes before the interval we again worried the home defence when after good link-up, Declan Glass found Megginson and Mitch wriggled clear on the left. His cross was inviting, but Fraser got there just before Marshall to concede the corner.

The well-worked set-piece which followed might have brought us a leveller. Connor Scully rolled the ball into the box for Megginson to cleverly lay it off towards the edge of the area, allowing Fraser Fyvie a clear shot, but the midfielder’s low effort was too close to the keeper, and easily saved.

We came agonisingly close on the stroke of half-time when Megginson pounced on a slack header out by McGowan and his twenty-five yard volley was touched on to the base of the post by goalkeeper Prior.

Mitch sparked another attack immediately after the restart, allowing Findlay Marshall to race down the right, but under pressure, he was unable to get his cross in. Marshall then returned the favour, picking out an excellent pass from halfway which Megginson got the first touch on, but was thwarted by some good defending by Brandon, who got back to clear the ball.

There was a glaring opportunity in the fifty-fourth minute when Findlay battled hard and broke clear on the right wing before flashing in a superb delivery. Fyvie, on the stretch, could only divert the ball over from six yards.

Nick Suman kept us in the game with a breath-taking save soon after. Muirhead swung in a corner which Finlayson met with a powerful header from fifteen yards, and the ball looked destined for the bottom corner only for the Aussie to dive full-length to make an outstanding one-handed stop.

Seconds later, we spurned another clear cut chance. Fraser Fyvie lifted a pinpoint pass over the top and Findlay Marshall timed his run to perfection, running in behind, but his low shot was straight at the keeper and Prior was able to grab the ball at the second attempt.

We kept up the pressure, and after Fyvie’s delivery flew across the area, Dylan Lobban gathered and returned it to the danger area, Marshall closed down before he could make telling contact. In our next attack, Connor Scully had an opening, but off-balance, sliced his shot high over.

The boys put together another excellent passing move in the seventy-seventh minute. After good link-up, Yule spread the ball to Harrington, and when Ryan curled in his cross, both Scully and Glass were inches from getting a touch at the back post.

The manager then made a triple substitution, with returning central defenders Will Gillingham and Liam Parker both coming on to add height to the attack as we fought to remain in the tie, and Will very nearly made an instant impact.

After Livi failed to deal with a free-kick, Arron Darge gathered and sent in an inviting delivery, Gillingham’s diving header flying narrowly wide of the right post.

The home side then killed us off with two goals in as many minutes.

First, a corner fell at the feet of substitute Tete YENGI, and he confidently rolled the ball into the net, repeating the feat in their next attack when he found himself free seventeen yards out.

That scoreline flattered Livingston, and it might have been even more emphatic when the big striker came close to bagging his hat-trick, Suman making a fine save to punch the ball clear at his right post.

The Scottish Cup dream over, the team must now regroup quickly for Tuesday night’s big league game against Montrose at Balmoral Stadium.

LIVINGSTON (4-3-3): Prior; Finlayson, McGowan, Wilson, Fraser (Clarke 64); Brandon (c) (Shinnie 64), McAlear (Pittman 56), Tait; Muirhead, May (Smith 79), Montano (Yengi 56)

Substitutes: Hamilton, Ubochioma, Nottingham

Goalscorers: McGowan (25), Yengi (81), (83)

Booked:

COVE RANGERS (4-4-2): Suman; Lobban, Darge, Doyle, Harrington; Yule, Marshall (Gaffney 78), Glass (Gillingham 78), Scully (Parker 78); Fyvie (c), Megginson (McGrath 84)

Substitutes: Demus, Murray

Goalscorers:

Booked: Fyvie (87)

Referee: Matthew MacDermid

Attendance: 1,111

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