Performance against Forfar wasn’t good enough, says Livingston boss Holt

Posted Sunday, August 18, 2019 by PA

Livingston manager Gary Holt was left annoyed by his side’s performance against Forfar Athletic, despite the Lions booking their place in the Betfred Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory.

Goals either side of the interval from Lyndon Dykes and Scott Pittman ensured that Dale Hilson’s second-half strike for the League One hosts, following an Alan Lithgow error, was not enough.

However, with Dykes missing a gilt-edged chance to put the tie to bed, Holt confessed he was less than happy with his team’s display.

He said: “I’m pleased we’re through. Is it an acceptable performance? No, it’s not.

“You’ve got to kill teams off. We should have been 3-0 and then Al makes a mistake and it’s 2-1 and it gives them a lift.

“We’ll analyse it but we’re in the hat for the quarter-finals, which is what I wanted at the start of the day.

“Would I have liked to have played better? Would I have liked to have been more dominant in the game? Yes, I would. But sometimes you’ve just got to take it on the chin.

“We’re through. Is it a ‘well done?’. No, it’s not, but we’re through.

“I wanted a quarter-final place and we were in a lose-lose situation today, because if you don’t win comfortably you’re not good enough and if you get beat you’re getting pelters.”

Forfar manager Jim Weir praised his team’s application but believes a sloppy start to the second half cost them the chance of an upset.

He said: “I was pleased at half-time, but what I wasn’t happy with was our 15-minute start after the break. It just felt as though they had stayed in the changing room.

“I told the players to go out and win the second half and they would have a real chance, but our start put us on the back foot.”