Penalty shootout drama as Stryjek heroics send Livingston into League Cup quarter finals

The Pole, last week Livingston’s late villain, decided the narrative in West Lothian as he clawed Kyle McAllister’s penalty onto the crossbar and dragged Livi into the quarter-finals of the League Cup again. 

In a day for the narrative – let’s not forget this was a rematch 201 days in the making of last year’s semi-finals – Stryjek’s was the story to tell. 

Not that that looked likely two hours before. With the Saints fans in fine voice, the Buddies took to the Tony Macaroni Arena with an early swagger and for the first ten minutes, at least, Livi looked in danger of succumbing to their guests’ urgency. Their crimson-clad front three chased every loose ball and Scott Tanser hared off down the left with, certainly for Nicky Devlin, worrying regularity. 

Tanser, a winner of last year’s League Cup with St Johnstone, looked to be going out of his way to lead a one-man defence of his title. Time and again he put on the afterburners to burst beyond Devlin, first forcing Jason Holt to scamper back and clear and later darting into the box on his own but dragging a harmless shot wide. 

This was the start the St Mirren fans had come along the M8 to see but soon it was Livi who found a foothold in the game. The energy and drive of Scott Pittman and Craig Sibbald was key to that. As was the braveness of goalkeeper Max Stryjek, the villain of the piece last week doing his bit for the narrative. But more on that later. 

Alan Forrest opened the scoring

First, Livi’s attack, which, after that sluggish start, began to move through the gears. Alan Forrest’s pace had Richard Tait looking around for back-up whenever he picked up the ball and new boy Odin Bailey was making the most of the space vacated by Tanser on the other wing. A dangerous Pittman drive stung the palms of Jak Alnwick with Livi’s first attempt on goal. 

At that point an opener seemed inevitable only for the game to descend into trench warfare and something of a non-event for most of the half. That was until, out of nothing, Livi took the lead. 

With only five minutes until the break and St Mirren aimlessly holding onto possession in midfield, Sibbald cleverly nipped in to nick it and, in a flash, off roared the Lions, Pittman prodding the ball into Forrest’s path. 

He simply steadied himself, waited for the opportunity, and arrowed it through a defender’s legs and beyond Alnwick. It really was as simple as that. 

So too was St Mirren’s near instant riposte and this is where Stryjek comes in. He’d already produced a fine flying save to deny Greg Kiltie his first St Mirren goal with the game at 0-0 but his block from Eamon Brophy was in a different league entirely. 

When Jack Fitzwater and Ayo Obileye switched off and the assistant referee’s flag refused to lift – although Martindale’s blood pressure certainly did – Brophy latched onto a hopeful Tait punt and skated into the box but the Pole stood tall to preserve his team’s lead at the break. 

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin

St Mirren had to show more drive in the second-half. Cammy MacPherson, so often the spark to light the Saints’ flame, offered some as did Kyle McAllister. But just when it looked like their hopes were fading with the West Lothian sun a free kick from the left was lumped into the box and tapped home gleefully by Connor McCarthy.

Livi looked shellshocked. The St Mirren fans were back in fine voice. And the game was heading for extra-time. 

The crowd lapped it up, happy to accept more after an 18-month long fast, and it looked like Livingston had won it in dramatic circumstances in the 110th minute when Devlin flicked home the rebound from an Obileye header against the post. But the officials gave Alnwick the benefit of the doubt and to penalties we went. 

Jacobs and Sibbald both missed for Livingston but crucially so did Curtis Main and Cammy MacPherson for the guests. And when it mattered Stryjek was there to savour his moment. 

More to follow…