Manager Post Livingston
Saturday, 8th Dec 201208/12/12: JJ - ""I told the referee that we was too quick to show yellow cards today but I thought the decision was right and I told him that.
Jim Jefferies had his issues with the decisions of referee John Beaton but did agree that Callum Morris deserved to see red:-
"For the first twenty minutes before the sending off we were so dominant, so much on the ball and you felt it was just a matter of time because we were well in control of the game. We were comfortable but as soon as the sending off happened it gave Livingston a massive lift. Apart from a couple of sloppy plays in defence that nearly cost us a goal, I couldn't see them really causing us much bother even with ten men.
"When down to ten men we had two or three great opportunities at 0-0, especially Craig Dargo's, but then their player hit a 25 yarder. I said to the players (at half time) if somebody hits a 30 or 35 yarder that's fine as long as we didn't give anything away, I'd still feel that we could go on and win the game. That's why we kept the two forwards up and we got the chances. We had to take them though because we knew that with the extra man you are running the risk of getting punished.
"Barrowman should have scored in the first half, he knows that. Dargo says that he should have scored in the second half and so should one or two others. The goal came at a time when we had to change it. We went three at the back and still felt that we were capable of getting a goal. I cannot fault the players for the way they went about the whole game; their attitude and application was excellent but unusually we weren't as clinical in front of goal as we have been. We paid the penalty for not sticking the ball in the net at 0-0, its as simple as that."
The Manager felt that once Livvy scored all their players wanted to be on the ball and the game was open as both teams had their chances to score. Up until the sending off there was only one team on the park dominating but he felt the referee's decision to red card Callum Morris in 19th minute was correct:-
"I told the referee that we was too quick to show yellow cards today but I thought the decision was right and I told him that. There was no need for Callum Morris to make that challenge in the way he did. He is quick, that's one of his strengths and he was getting there first. When the boy (Stefan Scougall) took a heavy touch and knocked it on we were just expecting Callum to come in and sweep that up into row Z. He was running the risk when he jumps in with two feet like that and the referee had no option but to send him off. He let his team mates down but he is a young boy who has been outstanding for us and up until then he had been outstanding on the pitch as well.
"It meant we had to re-organise, we had to do that two or three times in the game. As far as the way that the players went about it I don't think anybody could deny that Dunfermline were always in the game. They were always pushing forward, always trying to do the right things. After the sending off you just felt that it just wasn't going to be our day."
With league leaders match at Cowdenbeath frozen off the match at Livingston was a major chance for Dunfermline to go top again but the Pars gaffer felt that there was a long way yet to go in this season and there will be slip ups from Partick as well as from Dunfermline:-
"There will be missed opportunities for Partick and missed opportunities for us. It is our third defeat but that game was there to be won today. On the evidence of the first twenty minutes if it had stayed at 11 v 11 we would have gone on to win that game. Getting a man sent off left us with a lot to do and gave them the lift that they needed.
"In front of goal we were wasteful, even at ten men and you can't let these opportunities go. I am quite sure that if we had gone one up either through Barrowman in the first half or Dargo in the second half. We could have shut up shop then and wouldn't have gone three at the back then. We would have gone with two banks of four and one up to keep what we had and maybe nick another one.
"We never got that opportunity because we fell behind. We really shouldn't have been (behind) because we had chances to be in front."
The goal that the Pars sought could possibly have come from a 65th minute penalty had the referee given a spot kick, the Manager discussed:-
"Dargo got booked for diving. Why would he go down there? He was in the box and if he was on his feet he scores because he beats the last man. There were some decisions that I could not understand. Dargo is an experienced player, he wouldn't go to ground right in front of goal. He beat the man beautifully, sidesteps him and was ready to pull the trigger when the boy whips the feet from him. Only the referee can answer that one."
08/12/12: Match Report - Livingston 2 Dunfermline 1
![Festive Hospitality Festive Hospitality](/javaImages/41/9/0,,10288~11012417,00.jpg)
Views : 2,768