Livi's first leg of treble tilt

Penicuik United were frustrated by Livingston AFC's strong defensive performance to finish as losing finalists in a 1-0 defeat in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur FA Miller Cup final at Paties Road.

Despite Alan McFarlane's late penalty miss for Livi, Joe Hutchison's early opener was enough for the West Lothian side to claim the trophy.

They will now compete in the League Cup final on Sunday and are still vying for the Lothian West league title as they search for a hat-trick of silverware.

Penicuik put pressure on the Livingston defence for long spells in the game, especially at the latter end of the first half, but struggled to find a breakthrough.

Scott Bradford had the first chance for Penicuik when he scrambled for Gary Walker's long cross with goalkeeper Michael Goodfellow, but could only force a corner.

Livingston had a chance soon after with William Gardner doing well to stay on side and he made a darting run down the right wing and had time to send in a precise ball to Scott McGregor, but his headed shot passed over the bar.

On ten minutes, Livi's Hutchison sent a close-range header from David Murray's free-kick past David Livie to put his side 1-0 up.

Following the goal, the ball barely touched the ground for ten minutes, with Livingston's height giving them the advantage in an aerial exchange.

With the ball soon back at the feet of Penicuik, their dominant phase began in earnest, but they only managed to convert their possession into two key chances. A long midfield ball fell to Bradford on the edge of the area and his low shot was well saved by Goodfellow.

A few minutes later, with a strong attacking presence around the Livingston goalmouth, a low left-sided ball met Chris Graham, who hit it first-time, but his powerful strike from six yards was denied by the quick reactions of Goodfellow.

Livi had a chance late in the half when Hutchison received a long ball on the edge of the area and flicked it over the last defender, Craig McManus, but his touch was just too strong and David Livie came off his line to collect.

The second half saw exciting end-to-end play, with key chances for both sides. Immediately after the restart, Penicuik's Gary Walker hit a long ball forward into the box, where Chris Graham was surrounded by defenders and his headed shot sailed high and wide. They had another chance soon after when Bobby Nwanze saw his free kick from 20 yards pass inches over the bar.

Livingston hit back, with Gary Burton volleying McGregor's corner just wide of the left post.

Moments later, they came closer to extending their lead when Hutchison did well to keep a long ball down the right in play and hit a low cross into the area, where the defender stumbled and the ball fell to McGregor who had space and time, but keeper Livie threw his body in the way of the shot to make an exquisite last-gasp save.

Midway through the half both teams hit the woodwork in quick succession. Livingston's McGregor headed a high ball on to Hutchison, who chipped the ball over his own head before unleashing his strike from 20 yards, which rattled the crossbar.

At the other end, the ball fell for Bradford deep inside the area and he hit a powerful shot that struck the bar and bounced away to safety.

Towards the end of the half, Livingston were awarded a penalty after a scuffle in the box. MacFarlane stepped up confidently, but his spot kick was saved by Livie, who did well to dive low to his right at such speed. Penicuik had a chance to keep the tie alive in the closing moments when Nwanze headed Bradford's cross, but the last-ditch attempt passed a couple of feet over the crossbar.

Penicuik coach Brian McGarry said: "It really looked like we were going to get an equaliser, but it wasn't to be. I think we played well so it's a shame we can't go away with some silverware.

"Stevie Thomson was our star man I'd say, and obviously the official man of the match Craig Russell played really well for Livingston, but their keeper was also outstanding."

Livingston coach Keith Pow is concentrating on the future. "We played an excellent game," he said.

"I think it was a fantastic performance and we've got a really good chance of winning the treble now.

"We're sat in second right now but if we win our remaining six games we'll win the league and we've also got the league cup final soon."

Penicuik United: David Livie, Gary Walker, Craig , Steven Thomson, Gary Watt, Bobby Nwanze, Mark Ireland, Ross Brand, Chris Graham, Scott Bradford, Martin Rogan. Brian Hancock, Callum Leavy, Chris Walker, Paul Welsh.

Livingston AFC: Michael Goodfellow, Lee Simpson, Stephen Lawlor, Alan MacFarlane, Mark Lawlor, Joe Hutchison, William Gardner, David Murray, Scott McGregor, Craig Russell, Gary Burton. Billy Dunlop, Brian Arthurs, Danny Mathieson, David Henney, Greg Ronald.