Livingston 0 Dunfermline 0

Saturday, 11th Jul 2015

Pre Season Friendly at Broxburn. El Bakhtaoui and Spence in for Wallace and Paton.

For this friendly at Albyn Park, Broxburn on Saturday afternoon, the Pars manager mixed his starting options bringing in Faissal El Baktaoui to play up front beside Michael Moffat. Otherwise the midfield and defence had a fairly slmilar look to previous pre season friendlies but Lewis Spence started in place of Michael Paton. Of course that meant that Jason Talbot and Callum Fordyce lined up against their old team while the opposition included former Pars Ross Millen, Liam Buchanan and Jordan White.

Livingston started new signings Jackson Longridge from Stranraer and Kieran Gibbons from Aberdeen.

The home side started the stronger with the Pars defence being the busier but in seven minutes David Hopkirk was quicker to the ball than Millen and his ball in towards the near post for Michael Moffat forced the first corner of the game followed. That came to nothing but after El Bakhtaoui had pressed on the right it was Lewis Spence who delivered a dangerous ball that travelled right through the Livi box.

The 13th minute caused Darren Jamieson to pull off a fine right handed save as a Hopkirk shot from the edge of the area was sent heading for the top right corner. The opportunity came after great work around the box by Spence, Falkingham and then El Bakhtaoui. The corner was sent in from the right by Hopkirk and Falkingham got in a shot but was wide right of target.

Dunfermline enjoyed a better spell towards the midpoint of the first half. Possession improved and territorially the Fifers did better. The Lions dealt with the long balls from Ben Richards-Everton and from a Hutton free kick. Most of the Pars anxieties came when Livingston put the visitors defence under pressure but it held up well.

A 28th minute Hopkirk corner kick was held by Jamieson and then two minutes later he brushed off Millen to send Moffat down the left but after cutting in the striker blasted the ball wide right.

White watched a lofty ball forward from Mullen and got the better of Fordyce to despatch a shot low to the left of goal but Hutton saved by sticking out his right foot. Hutton was out fast when next Richards-Everton headed back to his keeper. Then ten minutes before the break Geggan put the trialist keeper under pressure with a back pass that had White read could have been costly.

Mullen drove a speculative shot wide from 30 yards before the Pars took play forward with Ryan Williamson winning a free kick on the right that Jamieson held at his back post and then the keeper was at full stretch in 41 minutes to stop an El Bakhtaoui drive from 25 yards.

The Pars finished the half strongly with El Bakhtaoui teeing up Geggan on the edge of the area but the defence came out on top and it remained goalless at the break.

Half time: Livingston 0 Dunfermline 0

Miles Hippolyte was replaced by Bulgarian signing Spas Georgiev in the Livingston team and they created a chance in the second minute of the second half from a quickly taken free kick but fortunately Buchanan crashed the ball straight at Hutton. At the other end Falkingham picked out Moffat who launched a great shot from 25 yards out and the crowd was somewhat bewildered, some shouting goal as the ball bounced back out into play off the outside of the net support.

Hopkirk sent a free kick over the top, then Williamson made a run that saw Moffat feed Talbot on the left but Jamieson easily held the cross. El Bakhtaoui didn't get the decision when his defender cut him down on the edge of the area and then Richards-Everton was adjudged to have fouled White. When play came into the Pars box the ball was driven against the left upright but the offside flag was already up.

Falkingham delivered the first corner of the second 45 in 58 minutes but his cross was well flicked away before Richards-Everton could meet it. Three minutes later Falkingham sent Moffat racing down the right and he cut it before drilling the ball to the right side of the Livi goal but Jamieson got down well low to his left to hold.

Shaun Byrne was the Pars first sub replacing Lewis Spence with three quarters of the match gone. In 74 minutes a great chance fell to Williamson after El Bakhtaoui's stinging shot was parried away by Jamieson. Georgiev tracked back well to block the full backs effort. The keeper held the inswinging corner from Falkingham and then held a Moffat effort on the next break.

Dunfermline continued to impress and the opposition keeper made a really good interception on a Talbot free kick curled in from the right. Hopkirk got himself into a useful position but he was blocked out by the Lions defence and then in 89th minute he tried a longer distance effort that again the bright green kitted keeper held.

Jamieson had a much busier match than David Hutton but at the end of the day there was nothing to separate the sides. Dunfermline possibly should have capitalised on having the better chances but it was still a good workout against a team preparing for the season in the Championship.

LIVINGSTON: Darren Jamieson; Ross Millen (Ryan Currie 73), Jackson Longridge, Craig Sives, Morgyn Neil, Kieran Gibbons (86), Scott Pitman, Liam Buchanan (c)(Jordyn Sheerin 73), Jordan White (Gary Glen 65), Miles Hippolyte (Spas Georgieu HT), Danny Mullen (Bo Longridge 80)
SUBS NOT USED: Paul Quinn, Matthew Knox

DUNFERMLINE: David Hutton; Ryan Williamson, Callum Fordyce, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot; Andy Geggan, Lewis Spence (Shaun Byrne 68), Josh Falkingham (c), David Hopkirk; Michael Moffat, Faissal El Bakhtaoui
SUBS NOT USED: Cammy Gill (GK), Lewis Martin, Cammy McClair, James Thomas, Johnny Galloway, Jordan Orru, John Potter.

REFEREE: Barry Cook
WEATHER: Overcast 18C
ATTENDANCE

NEXT MATCH: Closed doors friendly v Queens Park
Wednesday 15th July

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