Livi’s high points count for nothing

Livingston may have racked up their highest final points tally in the Barr’s Irn-Bru First Division this season since they won the league in 2001, but they finished the campaign with a frustrating 1-0 loss at Dens Park on Saturday against Dundee.

Youngster Jamie Reid grabbed the only goal of a tight match three minutes after the break, and the Lions couldn’t make the most of several opportunities to grab an equaliser that would have moved them into fourth spot in the table.

The Dens Park side had the better of the opening stages, with a Livi team missing Marc McNulty and Keaghan Jacobs along with other long-term absentees struggling to stem an early Dundee tide.

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Nicky Riley saw a long-range effort whiz wide of the post and Ryan Conroy blasted a 25-yard shot off the woodwork as Dundee enjoyed the majority of possession, but Livi began to cause problems as the half wore on.

Just past the half-hour mark, Dean Cummings had an angled drive tipped over by home keeper Rab Douglas and from the resulting corner, Bobby Barr flashed a low ball across the face of goal that had no takers.

Conroy then forced a fine save from Andy McNeil with a curling free-kick, while at the other end, Barr had his shot held by Douglas right on the half-time whistle.

The deadlock was broken three minutes after the restart when Reid jumped on hesitation in the Livi backline in dealing with a long ball, and he bore down on McNeil before smashing high into the top corner of the net.

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Jake Hyde could have made the points safe but ended up with a contender for miss of the season when McNeil pushed out a Steven Milne shot and Hyde bundled the ball wide.

Livi then set siege to the Dundee goal in search of a leveller.

Stefan Scougall saw the ball deflected wide after he shot from the edge of the box, and when Barr played in Rory Boulding with an inventive lob, the striker couldn’t keep his chip under the bar.

Barr himself could only fire straight at Douglas with ten minutes to go at the end of a slick passing move, and despite a scramble in the box in stoppage time, the Lions went home empty-handed.

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