It’s always nice to see players both past and present from your club go on to great things. This is no different for Livingston, who could be about to see two players well known to them represent their country.
Current Livi goalkeeper Liam Kelly could be set to win his first Scotland cap after Millwall’s Jordan Archer withdrew from the squad. Former Livingston youngster Mark McNulty could also make his Scotland bow after performing brilliantly for Hibs this year.
Kelly deserves his Scotland call-up. (photo by Alan Rennie/Action Plus via Getty Images)
These two stars could be about to join a selection of Livingston players who have gone on to represent the national team. Kelly may become the first Livi player since 2006 to represent the nation, but many have left West Lothian and forged out decent international careers for Scotland.
We’ve taken a look at four former Livingston players who have represented the Scottish national team.
Robert Snodgrass
A Livingston youth academy graduate, Robert Snodgrass has went on to enjoy a fruitful career south of the border. It was the West Lothian club though who gave him his first chance in professional football, who also gave one of his international teammates a shot, Graham Dorrans.
Snodgrass was once a Lion. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Being involved in the first team setup at Livingston for five years, the winger made 79 appearances for the Lions, scoring 15 goals. Snodgrass was a first team regular for the most part, bar a brief loan spell at Stirling Albion. He was a key player for Livi, with his technical ability there for all to see from an early age.
The former Lion moved to Leeds United after his time at Livingston. He has since played for Norwich and Hull City, Aston Villa and current club West Ham. Snodgrass made his Scotland debut in 2011 against Northern Ireland and has since earned 26 caps.
His most notable international achievement was scoring a wonderful hat trick in a 5-1 victory over Malta.
David McNamee
The last Livi player to represent Scotland, David McNamee’s international career was brief. After impressing for the Lions, Bertie Vogts handed him a Scotland cap, playing the full 90 minutes in a friendly against Estonia in 2004.
McNamee on Coventry duty at Old Trafford. (Photo by Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images)
His last cap would come against Japan in the Kirkin Cup, helping Scotland defeat the hosts to lift the trophy in 2006.
McNamee’s best spell in his playing career was certainly at Livi. He made over 80 appearances for the club, before moves to Coventry City, Plymouth Argyle and trips back to Scotland with Aberdeen and Ross County seen his career wind down.
He finished his playing days in the lower leagues in England and the last thing McNamee was known to be doing was training as a mine warfare specialist.
Rab Douglas
Rab Douglas started his professional career at Livingston back in 1993, when they were still called Meadowbank Thistle. He stuck with the club as they suffered relegations and rebranded themselves to Livingston, cementing himself as number one in the process.
Douglas during a 1-1 draw between Scotland and Germany. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
He went on to make 72 appearances for the Lions and left West Lothian for Dundee in 1997. He played for numerous clubs, most notably Celtic and Dundee for a second spell, but took in a total of eight different club during his career.
Douglas made 19 appearances for the national side. He was a regular during the 2004 Euro’s campaign. His last cap came in a 2-2 draw with Austria in 2005.
Leigh Griffiths
He’s a well known figure in Scottish football nowadays. Back in 2006 though, nobody apart from the Livingston fans knew who he was. The striker made his professional debut for the Lions, scoring 22 times in 47 appearances for them.
One of Griffiths’ two outstanding strikes against England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
The current Celtic striker was a raw talent. This attracted the attention of First Division rivals Dundee, who he moved to in 2009. Griffiths has scored goals wherever he has went, especially for Hibs and Celtic, following a brief stint with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He’s been a regular pick for Scotland in recent years, making 19 international appearances. His most notable contribution was the two free kicks he scored against England in a 2-2 draw with the Three Lions in June 2017.
Griffiths has took time away from football recently due to personal issues. Everyone in Scottish football is hoping the striker can get back to what he does best soon.