Livingston’s interim boss David Martindale has welcomed a League Cup semi-final round of fixtures without the likes of Celtic and Rangers involved.
The Lions won their fourth game on the spin under Martindale, goals from Craig Sibbald and Alan Forrest sealing a 2-0 win over Ross County at the last eight stage. They will now face St Mirren at Hampden, with regulars at the national stadium in Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts and Rangers all out.
Martindale says it’s a boost for the game: “It is good for Scottish football. I’m delighted for everyone at the club, it’s brilliant. We did what we had to do, I’m glad it wasn’t on the TV! But I’d take it in the semi-final and the final.
“We got a wee bit of luck with the first goal. The boys were in there cheering they got St Mirren. St Mirren will be cheering they got Livingston and so on. I think there’s a good mix and hopefully it will lead to a smaller team winning a trophy, which is great for Scottish football.
“To see their faces in there after the game, it’s a great feeling to see how happy some of these boys are. It’s a winnable game but it’s also a winnable game for St Mirren. All four teams will be looking at it, saying it’s a decent draw.”
Martindale reckons it’s will give the players an added boost heading into a manic period: “Hopefully this gets us through December as it’s a busy month. Usually in training you see there’s a bit of needle.
“It will be brilliant in the build-up to it. I’ll boycott it if it isn’t at Hampden! Every single player and coach wants to go to Hampden. My full team talk was built around it so they can’t move it! It’ll be brilliant.”
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