Holt hails Livingston and Halkett's wonder goal

The Lions scored late on to grab a 1-1 draw against St Johnstone.

Gary Holt

Livingston manager Gary Holt insists his side deserved the point that captain Craig Halkett snatched with a "phenomenal" equaliser in their 1-1 draw with St Johnstone.

St Johnstone looked to be heading for victory thanks to a superb fourth-minute strike from Michael O'Halloran.

However, with time ebbing away, Halkett blasted the 84th-minute leveller beyond Zander Clark from 40 yards out to stun the home side.

Holt said: “Sometimes when you do hit it early you catch the keeper off guard.

“I've seen it back and it's a phenomenal strike. Craig can hit the ball and the balls these days do move.

“The fact he's hit it so early and through bodies, it's flown into the corner of the net.

“But I don't think it's anything we didn't deserve, to be honest.

“We had Steven Lawless' shot in the first half but I thought we were caught on our heels too often in the first half.

“But I said to the players at half-time that with 10 per cent extra across the board we would get something out of the game.

“I think with the intensity levels of our play the boys deserved something.”

St Johnstone counterpart Tommy Wright was disappointed with the way his team defended in the build-up to Halkett's equaliser and insists the Livingston skipper should not have been afforded the room to shoot.

However, after drawing seven days previously thanks to a spectacular late equaliser from St Mirren, the Perth boss reckons it was a “freakish” goal from the Lions.

He said: “It's still an unbelievable strike - the height of it and then it dips from about 16 yards out.

“That's two weeks running we've been unfortunate. In both incidences I'm taking nothing away from the strike, but we should have been better in the build-up to it.

“I think it's just dipped. I haven't seen it from a better view behind the goal but I don't think Zander picked it up until it flew past Ryan Hardie and Liam Gordon.

“It was over head height and then it's dipped and gone in the bottom corner. It's moved, so it's a difficult one.

“I haven't really spoken to Zander about it, but I think it looks like one of those freakish goals that happen from time to time."