Millennium Champions: Closing in on promotion

Last updated : 11 April 2010 By Stuart Gillespie

We owed Livingston one, considering the last time we'd met them they had hammered us at Love Street. Remarkable, a decade on, this game at Almondvale is the last time we played the Lions in a competitive game!

Steven McGarry had scored on our last trip to West Lothian and he did the same midway through the first half. He pounced on a mistake by David Rowson before charging in on goal and chipping the giant figure of Ian McCaldon in goals to produce a delightful opener.

Mark Yardley was keen to extend the lead and passed up a few chances before David Bingham equalised on the hour mark.

However, with a quarter of an hour to go, Yards finally scored. His initial shot was blocked, McGarry's rebound hit off a Livvy player before Yards pounced to fire home the loose ball when the chance appeared gone, much to the delight of the Saints fans behind the goal.

This game also marked Ricky Gillies' first game since he came back on loan from Aberdeen as we moved closer to promotion and ensured, at worst, we'd be in the play-offs. I remember being on holiday and trying to track this game on the radio. I was sure I'd heard it was 2-1 to Livingston before hearing news that Yards had put us 2-1 up - at which time I turned the radio back off and tried to do something else for the last 20 minutes or so! It wasn't easy.

Sadly, second placed Dunfermline thrashed Clydebank but Falkirk's win over Raith Rovers moved the Bairns closer to the play-offs. If they finished in the top three, then ourselves and Dunfermline would be going up automatically due to the state of Brockville.

However, we didn't want that - we wanted the title. Two wins from our last three would do the job, or it could be sealed if we won our next game against Ayr and Dunfermline failed to win at Caley Thistle. It had the potential to be a dramatic afternoon, and that's exactly how it turned out.