McMenamin spares a giant killing at the death

Alloa Athletic 0 1 Livingston

McMenamin 88 Evans Bolochoweckyj Townsley Ovenstone Walker Ross Ferguson Nicolson Stevenson Brown Hamilton

McKenzie Deloumeaux Rubio Strong Bahoken Easton Hand Vincze O'Brien McPake Lilley Subs: Quitongo for Nicolson 89.

Not used: Daly, Mortimer, Calderon, McGlynn.

Booked: Walker 51.

Referee: C Thomson.

Subs: Dair for Rubio 43, McMenamin for McPake 58, Kriston for Hand 71.

Not used: Meldrum.

Booked: Rubio 40, Bahoken 75.

Attendance: 2,103.

RICHARD GOUGH and his players were relieved to escape from Alloa with a fortunate victory when Colin McMenamin, who came on as a substitute, scored with only two minutes to go.

Had Tom Hendrie's side been fortunate in front of goal it would have been them, and not the Premierleague strugglers, in the quarter- final draw.

Alloa were also denied a penalty before the goal, adding to the sense of injustice which Hendrie was clearly feeling.

After seven wins on the trot, this late defeat was hard for the manager and his players to take.

Livingston's plans were disrupted from the outset when midfielder Mark Wilson, aformer Manchester United youth player who is on loan from Middlesbrough, was injured in the pre-match warm-up and his place in the starting line-up was taken by Jamie Hand.

Gough gave defensive debuts to former Motherwell team-mates Eric Deloumeaux and Greg Strong, but his recast team soon found themselves under pressure from the Second Division side.

Hendrie had admitted prior to the tie that, from a crowd point of view, he would have preferred Morton to have beaten Livingston in the previous round.

His point was confirmed by the low turnout, but the home supporters found plenty to cheer about as Alloa took the game to their lofty opponents.

Alloa fielded a formation with five in midfield, but it was the threat down the left which immediately discomforted Livingston.

Alloa forced an early corner and Michael Bolochoweckyj got his head to James Stevenson's delivery, forcing Roddy McKenzie to make a save on his line.

With Livingston looking disorganised at the back there was plenty more early encouragement for Alloa from further corners on the left, but although Bolochoweckyj got another header in and Brown Ferguson later nodded the ball just wide, Alloa's finishing was not of the same standard as their lead-up work.

Even so, after yet another corner taken by Stevenson, midfielder Ian Nicolson had a terrific effort on goal, volleying just wide of the post after picking up a clearance on the edge of the box.

The first 20 minutes had been grim for the Premierleague side, but significantly they hadn't taken a further jolt to their confidence by conceding a goal.

Gradually, prompted by the excellent Burton O'Brien and the Hungarian Gabor Vincze, Gough's side squeezed themselves into the match.

James McPake watched a header go narrowly wide, but there was a dullness about the proceedings as the ball got bogged down in midfield.

The visitors had to make a second enforced change when Oscar Rubio, who earlier had tested Alloa goalkeeper James Evans in a rare Livingston attack, was booked for an over-robust challenge on Ross Hamilton and left the field with a head gash, being replaced by Jason Dair before the first half was out.

For Gough and his assistant Archie Knox, both accustomed to grander stadiums than Recreation Park, this must have been grim to witness, but at least when the second half got under way there was momentary encouragement.

Derek Lilley, put in by Vincze, had a shot saved by Evans and then a Dair free-kick raged just over the bar, but before much longer it was Alloa who again looked the better side.

Brown Ferguson, an industrious player, had a shot palmed away by McKenzie with Brown and Hamilton waiting to pounce, and then the midfielder again had another attempt blocked.

Mercifully, the game was starting to open up, and Lilley was presented with a marvellous opportunity after O'Brien's enterprising run but failed to connect.

Increasingly it looked certain that a single goal would win the tie, and it very nearly came for Alloa. Nicolson cut the ball back from the left, but agonisingly it spun just inches away from the feet of his two eager strikers.

The home side had a strong penalty claim waved away when Stevenson, a real stalwart, was bundled over in the box by Livingston substitute Attila Kriston.

A draw looked certain until O'Brien, easily the classiest player on the pitch, went off on another run and set up the match-winning chance for Colin McMenamin, who was lurking at the back post.

Game, set and match to the visitors from the Premierleague, but scarcely deserved.

FAST FOOTBALL

Fair result? No. Alloa will be rueful that they didn't win this, never mind succumb to a late goal. They were the more enterprising side, but just couldn't apply the finishing touch.

Entertainment value? Got more gripping as the game went on, with one goal going to be enough to settle the tie.

It eventually came, but not to the side that deserved it.

Talking point: Tom Hendrie was convinced that his side were denied a stone-wall penalty. Some referees would have given it, but it wasn't as black and white as the Alloa manager claimed.

Man of the match:

Given to Alloa's left-sided defender John Ovenstone, just one of many good home performers.

Tom Hendrie: "It was a complete stone-wall penalty and it's beyond me why the referee didn't give it. As the Second Division side we took all the credit. We would have been aggrieved if the score had been even 0-0 after the players put in so much effort."

Richard Gough: "I'm glad we got through to the next round.

On balance, Alloa maybe deserved to win it. But they didn't."

Copyright 2005 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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