Livi bounce back after early setback
Livi lost a goal thanks to Steven May with just 56 seconds gone, but a blistering response, including strikes from Stefan Scougall and Marc McNulty, had the visitors ahead before the ten-minute mark.
After passing up more first-half opportunities, the Lions held their own in a rough and tumble second 45 to secure another three league points.
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Hide AdHughes said: “I thought we played really well in the first half and knocked the ball about well.
“We could have been three or four up at half time.
“In the second half a wee bit of trepidation came into our play, perhaps with a few of them just back from injury, and we didn’t really make a pass.
“But we got a wee bit of luck that we’ve not had in some other games this season.”
Livi welcomed back club captain Liam Fox and Kyle Jacobs after lengthy spells out injured, but the fresh faces didn’t stop Accies storming their way into the lead.
Steven May burst through a cluster of Livi defenders down the left-hand side before drilling the ball low under Andy McNeil in the first minute.
Hughes’ men responded sharply, as Scougall intercepted a slack pass across Hamilton’s back line and fired into the bottom corner from 20 yards just three minutes later.
Then on nine minutes Livi went in front as Tony Andreu slipped in Marc McNulty down the right, and the striker stayed composed to clip the ball beyond Accies keeper Kevin Cuthbert.
The Lions were knocking the ball about well and could have gone further ahead but Cuthbert denied both Andreu and McNulty.
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Hide AdMcNeil was kept on his toes at the other end, saving well from Alex Neil and May, and then after the break Craig Barr saw his effort from six yards blocked brilliantly by Cuthbert.
Red cards for Hamilton’s Neil and Livi’s Kevin McCann – along with hefty penalty shouts from both Kyle Jacobs and May – sustained the match’s second-half drama, but no more goals meant Livi held out for the three points.