INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 4-4 LIVINGSTON
LEAGUE GAME 27
VENUE � EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM
DATE � SATURDAY 07 MARCH 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - MATTHEW HAZLEY, 4 - MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN) - 1 GOAL,
5 - BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, 7 - DARREN SMITH, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO - 1 GOAL,
10 - JOHN BAIRD - 2 GOALS - MAN OF THE MATCH, 11 - JOE CARDLE
SUBS
USED
12 - DAVID NIXON FOR 3 - MATTHEW HAZLEY, 14 - STEVEN MCDOUGALL FOR 7 - DARREN SMITH,
15 - SIMON LYNCH FOR 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO
NOT USED
16 - STEPHEN MAGUIRE, 17 - LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
10 - JOHN BAIRD
MATCH REPORT
IN A SENSATIONAL LEAGUE MATCH AT THE EXCELSIOR STADIUM AIRDRIE UNITED AND LIVINGSTON SERVED UP AN EIGHT GOAL THRILLER AS THEY DREW 4-4.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE TWO CHANGES TO THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE ROSS COUNTY GAME AS JOE CARDLE AND JOHN BAIRD WERE HANDED STARTS AT THE EXPENSE OF DAVID NIXON AND STEPHEN MAGUIRE WHO WERE ON THE BENCH.
FIRST HALF
DURING THE OPENING TEN MINUTES OF THE GAME BOTH TEAMS HAD ONE CHANCE AND ON THE 5TH MINUTE LIVINGSTON HAD THEIR CHANCE AS THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 20 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT ANTHONY MCPARLAND HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. THREE MINUTES LATER JOE CARDLE PLAYED JOHN BAIRD IN ON GOAL WITH AN EXCELLENT THROUGH BALL AND HE CALMLY SLOTTED THE BALL BY RODDY MCKENZIE AND INTO THE NET FOR HIS FIRST GOAL OF HIS AIRDRIE CAREER AND TO GIVE AIRDRIE THE LEAD. A FEW MINUTES LATER SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN TRIED TO DOUBLE AIRDRIE�S LEAD WITH A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE.
ON THE 14TH MINUTE LIVINGSTON WERE DEALT A BLOW AS DAVID MCKAY LIMPED OFF INJURED AND THIS MEANT MARK TORRANCE CAME ON. TWO MINUTES LATER LIVINGSTON HAD THE NEXT CHANCE WHEN THEY WON A CORNER AS FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE SIX YARD BOX AND MURRAY DAVIDSON GOT DOWN LOW TO SEND A DIVING HEADER GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS FORMER AIRDRIE UNITED TRIALIST ARMAND ONE HAD A CHANCE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
LIVINGSTON CONTINUED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE AND ON THE 26TH MINUTE JASON TALBOT HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 30 YARDS WHICH TOOK A DEFLECTION OFF OF TEAM-MATE LEIGH GRIFFITHS AND WENT JUST WIDE. TWELVE MINUTES LATER LIVINGSTON HAD ANOTHER CHANCE WHEN THEY HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. JOHN BAIRD THOUGHT HE HAD DOUBLED AIRDRIE�S LEAD ON THE 39TH MINUTE WHEN HE DRILLED A SHOT BY RODDY MACKENZIE AND INTO THE NET BUT IT WAS CHOPPED OFF FOR OFFSIDE.
LIVINGSTON CAME CLOSE TO EQUALIZING ON THE 42ND MINUTE AS FROM INSIDE THE BOX THE BALL HIT OFF OF STEPHEN MCKENNA AND STEPHEN ROBERTSON WAS FORCED TO GET DOWN LOW TO TIP THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE CORNER ANTHONY MCPARLAND CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND AN UNMARKED LEIGH GRIFFITHS ROSE TO HEAD THE BALL INTO THE NET FOR THE EQUALIZER. A MINUTE LATER LIVINGSTON TOOK THE LEAD AS FROM A CROSS INTO THE BOX AN UNMARKED ARMAND ONE VOLLEYED THE BALL INTO THE NET. AIRDRIE TRIED TO GET AN EQUALIZER BEFORE HALF TIME WITH THE FINAL CHANCE OF THE HALF WHEN PAUL DI GIACOMO HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE AND AIRDRIE WENT INTO HALF TIME A GOAL BEHIND.
SECOND HALF
ARMAND ONE GOT THE HALF OFF TO A FANTASTIC START FOR LIVINGSTON WITH THE FIRST CHANCE OF IT ON THE 51ST MINUTE AS FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT HE TURNED AND EXCELLENTLY SENT A SHOT FLYING INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE NET TO GIVE STEPHEN ROBERTSON NO CHANCE AND INCREASE LIVINGSTON�S LEAD. AIRDRIE RESPONDED QUICKLY AND TWO MINUTES LATER JOE CARDLE HAD A SHOT CLEARED OFF THE LINE BUT AIRDRIE WERE NOT TO BE DENIED AND FROM A MATTHEW HAZLEY CROSS INTO THE BOX PAUL DI GIACOMO HEADED THE BALL INTO THE NET TO PULL A GOAL BACK AND FOR HIS 12TH GOAL OF THE SEASON. PAUL DI GIACOMO CAME CLOSE TO THE EQUALIZER A MINUTE LATER AS FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT HE HIT A SHOT BUT RODDY MCKENZIE MADE THE SAVE.
WITH THE NEXT CHANCE ON THE 57TH MINUTE LIVINGSTON RESTORED THEIR TWO GOAL ADVANTAGE AS THE DANGEROUS LEIGH GRIFFITHS RACED IN ON GOAL AND FIRED A SHOT INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE NET. HOWEVER BEFORE THE GAME COULD RESTART AIRDRIE WERE REDUCED TO TEN MEN AS JOE CARDLE BIZARRELY RACED ABOUT 20-30 YARDS OVER TO CAPTAIN MARC SMYTH AND JUMPED INTO HIM WHICH LEFT REFEREE STEVEN NICHOLLS WITH NO CHOICE BUT TO SHOW HIM A STRAIGHT RED CARD.
AIRDRIE REFUSED TO BE BEATEN THOUGH AND ON THE 64TH MINUTE DARREN SMITH CUT THE BALL BACK TO JOHN BAIRD AND HE HIT A SHOT WHICH WENT INTO THE NET FOR HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME AND TO BRING AIRDRIE BACK INTO THE GAME. TWO MINUTES LATER AIRDRIE WON A CORNER AND FROM IT MATTHEW HAZLEY SENT A DANGEROUS BALL INTO THE BOX WHICH HAD LIVINGSTON GOALKEEPER RODDY MCKENZIE AT FULL STRETCH TO TIP THE BALL OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE NEXT CORNER DARREN SMITH SENT IN A DANGEROUS DELIVERY BY CROSSING THE BALL INTO THE SIX YARDS BOX AND MARC SMYTH GOT AWAY FROM HIS MARKER TO HEAD THE BALL INTO THE NET FOR THE EQUALIZER.
MATTHEW HAZLEY BECAME THE SECOND AIRDRIE PLAYER TO GO INTO THE REFEREE�S BOOK BEFORE THE NEXT CHANCE AS HE WAS SHOWN A YELLOW CARD. THEN ON THE 74TH MINUTE JOHN BAIRD HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME FOUR MINUTES LATER AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL CAME ON FOR DARREN SMITH. SHORTLY AFTER HIS INTRODUCTION STEVEN MCDOUGALL PLAYED THE BALL TO PAUL DI GIACOMO AND FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
PAUL DI GIACOMO EARNED A FIRST STANDING OVATION FROM THE AIRDRIE SUPPORT A MINUTE LATER FOR EXCELLENTLY GOING BY A FEW LIVINGSTON PLAYERS AND HITTING A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. ON THE 81ST MINUTE PAUL DI GIACOMO GOT A SECOND STANDING OVATION FROM THE AIRDRIE FAITHFUL AS HE WAS SUBSTITUTED FOR SIMON LYNCH. THREE MINUTES LATER BOTH TEAMS MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTIONS AS FOR AIRDRIE DAVID NIXON CAME ON FOR MATTHEW HAZLEY AND FOR LIVINGSTON KEAGHAN JACOBS CAME ON FOR GARY MILLER. LIVINGSTON HAD THE FINAL THREE CHANCES AFTER THIS. FIRSTLY ANTHONY MCPARLAND HIT A SHOT FROM 20 YARDS OUT WHICH STEPHEN ROBERTSON GOT FINGERTIPS WHICH PUT OFF LEIGH GRIFFITHS AS HE COULD NOT GET PROPER CONTACT ON THE BALL TO TURN IT INTO THE NET. THEN WITH ONLY FOUR MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING KEAGHAN JACOBS HAD A GO FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT WELL WIDE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS LEIGH GRIFFITHS HAD THE LAST CHANCE OF THE GAME WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE AND THE GAME FINISHED 4-4.