The sides had already met twice in the League with one win apiece, but early in the season Burgh somehow contrived to throw away a 3-1 lead to lose at 4-3 to Livi at Station Park.

It was the visitors that started the brightest, though, as in only the second minute a corner from the right by Ronnie Martin was flicked on by Calum Leadbeatter to Tam Hampson at the back post. The emergency defender looped a header off the underside of the bar and the ball scrambled clear.

I was pretty much level with the goal-line taking photos and my gut feeling was that it had crossed the line but in fairness to the referee, he can’t be in multiple positions to make a fraction call and if he wasn’t able to clearly tell, he understandably waved play on. It was certainly a close call, though.

In the 6th minute a ball from wide on the left by Owen McCallion played in Logan Whyte just inside the box. His turn and pass found Andy McCallion whose close-range turn and shot was blocked by the feet of a defender.

On 9 minutes came Livingston’s first chance of the game as a long throw into the Burgh box was flicked on and Barclay’s effort went just wide of the post.

There could no dispute for Hampson in the 14th minute, however, when he took a free kick about 8 yards outside the home penalty area and curled a spectacular free kick over the wall and beyond the keeper into the top corner of the net with a sensational finish to give Burgh the lead.

In the 22nd minute a driving run on the right into the box by Mackenzie Williamson found Whyte, who smartly turned but couldn’t quite his shot down to trouble Luzha in the Livingston goal.

Burgh extended the lead on 25 minutes with a move that started in defence with Leadbeatter passing to Calum Geddes who played a low ball through that found Andy McCallion who flicked onto Owen McCallion on the left-hand corner of the area. The Burgh number 10 sweetly struck a low first time shot with his right foot that gave Luzha no chance to put the visitors 2-0 up.

It was largely all Newburgh at this stage and on 27 minutes a quickly played free-kick in the middle of the park by CJ Thomson found Andy McCallion on the edge of the box who laid off to Williamson who sure his rising shot just curl over the crossbar.

Next it was Whyte’s turn to pepper the Livingston goal with a shot from the edge of the area after a smart move down the left between Whyte, Owen McCallion and Ronnie Martin which saw the Burgh no.7’s shot into the grateful body of Luzha.

On 32 minutes a beautiful through-ball by Thomson put Andy McCallion through on goal towards the right-hand side of the area. With space and angle running out, McCallion was unlucky not to find the target.

Livingston were still searching for a route back into game and gave Burgh a warning shot on 37 minutes when Hampson was dispossessed in the box by Dunlop who held off his marker to send a good shot just wide of Scott Kyle’s post.

Moments later at the other end a Martin free kick into the Livi box was met by Leadbeatter but his header was deflected behind for a corner.

It was a lively first half with plenty of shooting opportunities, and there was still no let up in the closing stages of the opening period and Whyte whose effort from outside the area was deflected behind on its route to goal.

At the other end, a good Livingston move between Barclay and Arthur saw the former’s dangerous cross into the box was cleared over the bar well by Leadbeatter.

Any fears of a strong wind that had aided Burgh in the first half then working against them in the second period were proved unfounded as Williamson put Burgh 3-0 ahead when he slammed home from close range after Owen McCallion’s cross from the left was flicked to the feet of Williamson six yards from goal and he clinically rifled it past the keeper in the 46th minute.

The wind wasn’t seemingly deterring Burgh from their game and Cammy Newsome had a shot from the edge of the area blocked in the 50th minute by Arthur.

Within a minute 3-0 then turned to 4-0, owing much to the work of Williamson who picked up the ball in the middle of the Burgh half and he drove down the right wing before sending over a cross into the feet of Andy McCallion central, just inside the Livingston penalty area. The Burgh striker smartly controlled the ball with his first touch on the turn before driving a low shot beyond Luzha.

Credit to the hosts in that they continued to try and find a way back into the game and a driving run by Arthur saw him unleash a shot that narrowly beat Kyles and crossbar for what would have been a great strike.

In the 87th minute Burgh were reduced to 10 men when Williamson was clattered by keeper Luzha going for a high ball into the area. With all Burgh subs already used and the game largely safe, the Burgh skipper hobbled off with the remaining Burgh players battling to keep the clean sheet.

Deep in stoppage time that was nearly threatened, again by Arthur’s shot that awkwardly kicked up in front of Kyles who parried and recovered well to block Guy’s follow up.

It was a great result for Burgh with a thoroughly deserving performance and result, as well as another pleasing clean sheet for Kyles and his defence. Andy McCallion, Williamson, Owen McCallion and Whyte in particular were causing difficulties for the Livi defence all game. Whilst seldom troubled, Kyles and the defence still needed to be alert when called upon with Martin, in particular, looking solid at the back and creative moving forward.

Whilst there are only 2 games left for Burgh, it is an extension of a good run of form that has seen the team pull themselves mathematically away from the bottom and brought them within the middle of the table pack and even the fringes of the promotion picture which will hopefully auger well for next season.

With only two drawn games all season, if just a couple of those early season defeats had been wins, Burgh would have been sat in 4th place only 2 points behind that third promotion place – such is the closeness of this crazy division!

Man of the Match: Mackenzie Williamson - lead by example and was deserving of his goal.

Match Photos: vs. Livingston United by J19 Photography