Craig Dargo's equaliser five minutes from time gave
Kilmarnock a deserved point from a game they will feel they should have
won.
The visitors had the better of the game but failed to capitalise on
their domination against a tired Livi side.
The home side took the lead when David Fernandez lobbed the keeper
from a Fernando Pasquinelli flick.
But Dargo replied two minutes later when he knocked the ball home
from six yards after a goalmouth scramble.
Livi created the first chance of the game in the opening minute when
John-Paul McGovern found Colin McMenamin, but the striker's shot from 16
yards was well blocked by Freddie Dindeleux's tackle.
Killie's first effort on goal did not come until the 15th minute but
midfielder Eric Skora's speculative shot from 25 yards was easily saved
by Livi keeper Roddy McKenzie.
Five minutes later, Garry Hay hit a shot from just outside the box
that was heading for the corner of the net until McKenzie tipped it
round the post.
Skora was next to threaten for Killie as he sent a close range header
from a Danny Invincibile cross just wide of McKenzie's right-hand post.
On the half hour the impressive Frenchman cut in from the right and
drove a right-foot shot from 25 yards that skimmed the Livi crossbar.
McMenamin forced a good point-blank save from Kilmarnock's almost
redundant keeper Colin Meldrum after a spell of Livingston pressure
towards the end of the first half.
Within three minutes of the restart, substitute Craig Dargo made his
first impression when he hammered a left-foot shot from 20 yards past
McKenzie's right-hand post.
The best chance of the game so far fell to Kris Boyd in the 50th
minute when he was on the end of an in-swinging Stephen Murray cross
from the right but the big striker headed an easy chance wide from 10
yards.
On the hour mark there were penalty appeals from the visitors when
Murray slammed the ball off Livi defender Jamie McAllister's hand in the
penalty area, but referee Mike Ritchie waved play on.
A few minutes later, McKenzie had to be smartly off his line to block
a Jamie Fowler header from point-blank range.
Kilmarnock were still on top but incredibly they went behind in the
83rd minute when Fernandez got on the end of a Fernando Pasquinelli
flick on and lobbed the ball over Meldrum from 12 yards out.
But the home side's cheers had barely subsided when the game was
level again. After a goalmouth scramble, Craig Dargo
scrambled the ball over the line from close range.
The game was tied at 1-1 with seconds remaining when Killie
substitute Colin Nish, on earlier for David Lilley, beat Livi keeper
Roddy McKenzie to the ball with his head just inside the box.
The Rugby Park striker watched the ball bounce back off the post
before following it up to net from close range for what looked like a
deserved victory for the visitors.
But to the anger of the Kilmarnock players and management the
assistant referee had put up his flag and Ritchie ruled the goal
offside.
Afterwards an angry Jefferies said: "When the ball comes in and
the linesman puts his flag up before Nish heads it then fair enough -
but he didn't do that.
"Nish headed it past the keeper and it was him who put it in so he
couldn't possibly be offside."
Kilmarnock: Meldrum, Lilley, (Nish 74 mins) Greer, Dindeleux, Hay, Fowler,
Skora, Locke
, Murray,
(McSwegan 66 mins) Boyd, Invincibile. (Dargo 45 mins)
Subs: Smith, & Dodds
Attendance: 2,677
