Football: HAY HAS HEAD IN THE LION'S MOUTH; KILMARNOCK ...4 LIVINGSTON ......2.

Byline: Gavin BERRY at Rugby Park

DAVIE HAY reckons this match summed up his rollercoaster season at Livingston.

The Lions boss watched from the directors' box as his side tossed away a two-goal lead in a dramatic affair that had as many ups and downs as his own campaign in charge.

And it came on the day he announced another twist in his tale after revealing he isn't wanted as manager by the club's preferred bidders.

Assuming Irish multi-millionaire Pearse Flynn assumes control of the West Lothian outfit Hay will remain in the hot-seat only until the end of the season.

From the highs of winning the CIS Cup and reaching the Scottish Cup semi-finals yesterday was most definitely a low and not just because of the defeat.

In fact, Hay's post-match announcement was about the only news which could have overtaken the dramatic events on the field as Jim Jefferies' men produced a stunning second-half performance.

Killie looked dead and buried at the break after goals from Lee Makel and Burton O'Brien had Livingston cruising.

But half-time substitute Colin Nish pulled one back after the re-start, Mark Canning equalised and Nish grabbed his second before Gary McSwegan netted another to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Hay said: 'It's been an exceptional season packed with many things and this game just about summed it up.'

And the Lions gaffer didn't have to wait long for support as his counterpart paid tribute to Hay.

Jefferies said: 'As soon as I heard the news I just couldn't believe it. If this happens we'll be losing a good man.

'I just don't understand it at all. How can they want to change things after the season Livingston have had? It doesn't make sense.'

On paper this looked a meaningless game with little to get excited about but it proved anything but a quiet afternoon given Hay's news and the ensuing drama on the park.

The home fans streamed out in disbelief thanks to a performance inspired by Nish, who replaced Kris Boyd and netted his side's first and third goals.

Killie clinched their first back-to-back victories for five months but Hay conceded the three points were well deserved.

However, if Lions skipper Stuart Lovell had converted what looked a certain goal with the visitors 2-0 ahead it could have been a different story.

With just 12 minutes on the clock it was the West Lothian men who took the lead thanks to some superb vision by Spaniard David Fernandez.

Livi's own Magnificent Seven spotted Makel's bursting run and played a brilliant throughball into the path of the midfielder, who beat the off-side trap and coolly chipped the ball beyond the advancing Colin Meldrum.

Fernandez was suspended for last week's victory over Aberdeen but once again showed the quality which might yet see him make it at Celtic when his Almondvale loan spell expires.

Ten minutes later Makel turned provider as the visitors doubled their advantage. O'Brien took a short corner, exchanging passes with the Englishman before cutting in from the left and firing a low shot past Meldrum.

And the game should have been put beyond doubt seven minutes before the break when Meldrum parried Derek Lilley's shot into the path of Lovell who blasted wide of an open goal from six yards.

The home side were struggling to make any impression and managed to create their first good chance five minutes before the break when Boyd fired wide.

Boyd paid the price for Killie's first-half performance when he was replaced by Nish much to the bemusement of the home fans.

But the substitution paid dividends in the 54th minute when the home side pulled a goal back as Nish headed home Stephen Murray's cross.

And with 16 minutes left the home side got the goal their domination richly deserved when Canning rifled a low drive into the net after Danny Invincibile's intelligent lay-off.

Then in the 79th minute the remarkable turnaround was complete as Nish headed home his second, beating Marvin Andrews to the jump this time from Gary McDonald's cross.

Substitute McSwegan made it 4-2, albeit at the second attempt, when he knocked home Murray's cross from close range. Minutes earlier he had cannoned a shot off the post.

A delighted Jefferies said: 'What I said at half-time was unrepeatable. We didn't turn up in the first half we're not good enough to swan about.

'We allowed them to dictate play. Their second goal summed it up a total lack of application and concentration.

'I told them it's easier to win a game from 0-0 rather than 2-0 down with 45 minutes to go.

'We gave ourselves a mountain to climb and although we climbed it on this occasion it won't always be that way.'

The game seemed irrelevant for Hay but he said: 'I thought we played exceptionally well in the first half and if Stuart Lovell had put away the chance he had then it could have been beyond Kilmarnock.

'But in fairness to them they were more purposeful and direct in the second half and put us on the back foot. As good as we were in the first half it was reversed in the second.'

REFWATCH

JOHN ROWBOTHAM dished out just one booking on a comfortable afternoon for the whistler who turned in a decent display. Rating: 7/10.

CAPTION(S):

Go fourth: Substitute Gary McSwegan completes Killie's dramatic comeback by stabbing home their fourth goal