For his mum, Lina, is coming over from Canada to see him. “This will be her first game she’s seen in Scotland that I have actually been playing,” said the Canadian internationalist, “and hopefully I will be playing.
“I am quite excited that she’s going to be here. My mum is a huge football supporter and she’s been a big part of helping me, driving me here and there when I was younger.”
David knows it’s going to be a tough afternoon against Partick. And he’s aware that they’ve a couple of ex-Lions in their number who might feel they’ve got a point to prove
“Partick Thistle played well against us earlier in the season and they had a good result last week, so they are going to be up for it. I know that Alex Burns and Gerry Britton will be coming back here wanting to beat us and to prove that they should have been here in the first place.
“I am looking forward to a good game.”
Although David now has 31 caps for Canada, he could also have played for Italy. “My dad emigrated to Canada from Italy when he was 25. He met my mum in Canada. She’s also Italian.”
Whilst on international duty, David has played against some of the top players in the world. But one tournament sticks out in his mind, The Confederation Cup when Canada faced Japan and Brazil. “We drew 0-0 against Brazil. It was obviously a one-sided game, but you don’t realise when you see them on TV that they are all strong, pacey and good on the ball.
It was one of the best footballing experiences that I have had.”
David grew up with the typical Canadian sports such as hockey and basketball. “I couldn’t skate and I was too short for basketball, so football kind of won out.
“Football is quite big at youth level in Canada, but once you’re about 16 or 17, there’s nowhere to go, unless you play college soccer like I did. I had a great time – the best four years of my life were at university.”
David studied finance at university and, having continued his studies, will complete his Degree in six months time.
After playing college soccer, David was recommended to Stoke City. “I was there for about three months. The manager was sacked near the end of my three months, and I got a call from St Johnstone. I went up there to play for Paul Sturrock.”
David admits that prior to arriving in Perth, he had never heard of St Johnstone in his life. “Of course I had heard of Scottish football, but back home you only hear what the big two are up to. It’s a shame, as there’s a good league up here and it doesn’t get as much publicity as it should.”
After leaving St Johnstone, when Sandy Clark replaced Paul Sturrock, David furthered his football education in Holland, playing out the remaining eight months of the season for Dordrecht 90.
“It was probably the best thing for me at the time. A football education is what you get over there. It’s so much different from over here. I learned a lot in that eight months.”
David then spent a year-and-a-half at Inverness before taking the trail south to Livingston.
However, his move to Livingston wasn’t just as straightforward as that. Bobby Williamson was keen to sign him for Kilmarnock. And Aberdeen also came in with a bid to try and keep David up north.
But David had made his mind up the season before, when Inverness travelled to Almondvale, that Livingston was where he wanted to play.
“It’s a good location, the stadium was good and it seemed like an up-and-coming club. I wanted to be a part of it and, obviously, the decision proved itself right last year.”
David is convinced that Livingston have turned the corner after a disappointing start. “It’s been hard with all the new players we have had in. People expect things to just come together, but in any environment it needs time to gel and go.”
Looking ahead, David hopes to keep playing for Livingston, but plans to return to Canada when his football career is over. “I am missing my niece who is growing up – that’s probably the hardest thing for me”
Away from football, David spends a lot of time reading. ”My wife and I also do a lot of mountain biking, “ he added. “We like to see as much as we can of the city.”
And the final big question: If David was a judge at the Miss West Lothian event (now just three-and-a-half weeks away), would he go for the redhead, blonde or dark-haired girl?
“I have to say a blonde,” he confessed, “because my wife is a blonde.”
