Beth McKay’s brace secured a good victory for Livingston as defeated Gartcairn 2-1 in the SWPL 2. The win sees the Lionesses join Kilmarnock in second place following a tough game in the wet weather in Airdrie.

There were five changes to the side that drew 1-1 away to Boroughmuir Thistle, with Schenai Gamrot, Anna Murray, Gemma Mason, Lauren Evans and Anna Dickov returning to the starting XI. Shannon Mulligan would captain the side, with club captain Natasha Frew on the bench.

The weather conditions were not ideal as the rain battered down in Airdrie, with Gartcairn threatening early on. Fern Newbigging would prove to be a threat for the opposition, with the strikers runs in behind creating several opportunities. Schenai Gamrot pulled off a few great saves to deny Gartcairn the lead, one in which she spectacularly tipped a long range effort onto the crossbar.

It would be Livingston who opened the scoring, though, with a very well taken effort by Beth McKay. The winger received the ball on the left hand side, before cutting in on her right and firing a low shot into the bottom corner to give the Lionesses the lead.

Gartcairn got back into the game not too long after, with Abby Skelton being allowed too much time in the box and fired a high shot into the back of the net. Gartcairn would have the best chances throughout the rest of the half, but were unable to take advantage of their pressure.

Raewyn Murphy’s afternoon would unfortunately be cut short, with the midfielder having a nasty collision which forced her to make way just before half time.

The rain continued to batter down as the second half became more scrappy, with shots from range becoming the most frequent chances. Notable efforts from Courtney McAvoy and Shannon Mulligan would force good saves from Gartcairn’s Jasmin McPhie to keep the game level.

Livingston, however, would end up making the breakthrough, directly from a corner kick. Through a sea of bodies and with the bad weather conditions, Beth McKay whipped a great delivery in which evaded everybody and nestled nicely into the back of the net.

The Lionesses would be resolute and soak up all remaining pressure, leading to a good win on the road. The three points sees Livingston go to joint second in the SWPL 2, level on points with Kilmarnock.

Match Report: Angus Mcgregor

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