Livingston 0 Kilmarnock 2

Last updated : 11 September 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Second-half strikes from David Lilley and Danny Invincibile gave Kilmarnock an unlikely first ever win at Almondvale.

The home side had dominated the first half of a poor match but their failure to convert their possession into something more tangible came back to haunt them as the visitors hit back after the break.

Livingston had early claims for a penalty when Gary Locke seemed to nudge Jim Hamilton off the ball as they both chased Derek Lilley's high ball but Killie escaped.

In the ninth minute an Oscar Rubio clearance was headed down by Hamilton to Colin McMenamin, whose low shot from the edge of the area was gathered by Alan Combe at the second attempt.

Roddy McKenzie comfortably saved Lilley's header from a Locke free-kick after 19 minutes in a rare Kilmarnock foray up-field.

In a sparkling move two minutes later, McMenamin fed Stuart Lovell in the middle of the park and the Livi skipper skipped past Locke before releasing Goran Stanic on the left. The Macedonian cut inside and unleashed a fierce dipping drive that Combe had to be at full stretch to beat away.

Lovell then fired in a low shot from the edge of the area after a surging run by Craig Easton and Lilley shot wide as the home side continued to dominate an out-of-sorts Killie outfit.

After 37 minutes Easton sent over a corner that Rubio connected with at the near post but his flashing header went just wide and Hamilton just couldn't connect at the back post.

Only a reflex McKenzie block denied Kris Boyd in first-half injury time as Killie finally managed to threaten and Boyd should have done better immediately after the break but fired wide with only McKenzie to beat after beating Manu Dorado in the chase for a long ball.

Allan Johnston then almost punished a defensive mix-up and although Killie had picked up, their opening goal, after an hour, was still a harsh blow to Livi.

Skipper Locke sent over a free-kick from the left and Lilley rose above the home defence to head past a stranded McKenzie.

Burton O'Brien almost pulled one back after 68 minutes when he worked a neat one-two with Hamilton to go clean through on Combe but the keeper did well to block at close range.

Four minutes later, Killie added a scarcely deserved second when Johnston beat Dorado on the left and, although McKenzie blocked his shot, Invincibile was first to the rebound to blast home.

Livi pushed for a goal but James Fowler produced a superb last-minute tackle to deny sub Robert Snodgrass.