Bad end to a bad week for Leishman

LIVINGSTON played this match like a team whose thoughts lay elsewhere. After a minute's silence was observed in memory of Eugene Dadi's girlfriend Lydia Pritelli, who was found hanged on Friday, and the club's late former director Bob Clark, their strikers proceeded to miss a myriad of chances before Hibs' ruthless streak hit home with two clinically-taken second-half goals by Ian Murray and Craig James. Philippe Brinquin's consolation with the last kick will have given them none whatsoever.

At the end of a difficult seven days for the Almondvale club, manager Jim Leishman - who gave Dadi and his best friend Gustave Bahoken, who had a slight injury, the day off - the accent had to be on remaining positive. "Not only on the football side but off the park as well there is a lot of things happening," Leishman said, "and we have got to remain positive all the time. It is not what is behind us, it is what is forward. We are not sitting looking for sympathy and we are not hiding from it." But yet again he was given cause to bemoan his players' inability to capitalise on the chances their hard work and spirit had created.

"That is where the difference has been this season, it is not in the standard of play. Last year we defended clinically and when we got a chance to score we were also clinical," said Leishman. "You will not believe this, but people like Davide Xausa and Barry Wilson have been doing extra work on their finishing with John Robertson."

For his opposite number Bobby Williamson there was just happiness that another three points had been gained from a fixture that seemed to present them with real dangers in the first half. But not too much. "I am delighted about that because a lot of effort was put in," Williamson said. "We were a little bit concerned about the first half because we never saw it, and Nick Colgan had a couple of good saves. We're pleased about the goals that we scored, but disappointed that we conceded."

Leishman had dropped club captain Oscar Rubio pre-game, while Brinquin and Gary Bollan were both restored to the starting line-up, but a hat-trick of times in the first half, the home side's finishing was thoughtless in the extreme. First, when Colgan made a mess of Wilson's cross ball, Roland Zarate allowed the keeper to redeem himself as he dived to his left to touch the ball wide. Then Yannick Zambernardi failed to get to Bollan's cross, but Wilson could only fire straight at the keeper once more. Wilson had a second, even better chance minutes later when Lee Makel's pass remarkably dodged an offside flag to put him through one-on-one with plenty of time to make up his mind. He chose wrong. Again his finish was weak and Colgan managed to stick out a palm to the ball.

Up until that point, the game was slow to get started. A Jarkko Wiss free-kick had been palmed away by Broto, and the Spaniard had also defied a nice turn and shot by Tom McManus. Yet Livingston finished the half the stronger. When Colgan missed a Wilson corner, Mixu Paatelainen was there to hack the ball free when it appeared that Zambernardi's attempted clearance was skewing awkwardly towards his own goal.

Cherif Toure-Maman came on for the injured Francisco Quino at half time, and soon rolled a left-foot shot beyond Colgan's right-hand post, but Hibs took the ascendancy soon enough. The first sign of danger came when John O'Neil's cross found McManus, but Broto got his body in the way of the diving header.

Craig James has enlisted at Easter Road from Sunderland for the season, and whenever Hibs got him into the game his cultured left foot made a massive impact. It was his cheeky backheel which put Ian Murray into clear space, and although Broto got a hand to the Scotland player's first-time volley on its unerring path towards his top corner, he couldn't prevent Murray's seventh of the season from registering.

James then took matters into his own hands with his first senior goal. Broto saved a McManus effort from close range, and the ball squirmed out across the six yard box. James took his time, before leashing the ball into the unguarded net. "It took him a bit of time to settle in but he's learned what this game is all about in Scotland," was his manager's verdict.

Livingston pushed Michael Hart back to the centre of defence, but Livi rarely threatened. Even when Brinquin smashed in the rebound after Colgan had palmed out Zarate's free-kick, the gloom continued to descend upon the City Stadium.

Copyright 2002 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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