Livingston face Motherwell on Saturday, a side that are currently flying high in fourth place in the SPL, a lot has changed since the end of last season when the Steelmen finished bottom of the table. The Lions will need to go into this one very cautiously, as Motherwell have a good young squad of players, and are full of confidence at the moment, but Livingston are also flying high, and will be looking to seek revenge after Motherwell's lucky 6-2 win at the end of last season.
A lot has changed at Almondvale since the last match between the sides in August, Marcio Marcello has left the club after an alleged run in with coach Alan Preston and the rest of the backroom staff and he has been replaced by caretaker coach, Davie Hay, who has managed to get some smashing results in a short space of time. Hay has seen his side win four out of five games, and will be hoping to keep the good run going today at Fir Park.
Davide Fernandez has also came back to Livingston on loan from Celtic, and the wee magician has been a joy to watch over the last couple of matches and is getting back to his normal with every game he plays. Fernandez was lacking confidence when he came back to Livi, but Celtic at the moment have a lot of quality players and he was always going to struggle to get into the side, so coming back to the Lions was a great move for both the player and the supporters.
Livi will be glad that James McFadden won't be facing the Lions after his move to English Premiership side Everton, but the Steelmen have got a fine youth policy that is starting to pay off. Stephen Pearson is just one of many players to keep tabs on. He put in a transfer request at the start of the season, but he withdrew it after he decided his future lay at Fir Park, but Celtic are keeping a close eye on him at the moment, and the rumours at that they will swoop on the 23-year old during the transfer window.
Livingston have also got a few promising youngsters in David McNamee who signed from Blackburn along with Burton O'Brien. These two players were tipped for big things when they moved from St Mirren to Ewood Park, but things never went to plan, and luckily for Livingston, the two players agreed to switch from the English Premiership to the SPL and join one of the biggest success stories in world football. Jon Paul McGovern is another young player who is making a big impression at Almondvale. He signed a 3-year deal after being freed by Celtic, and he has shown his quality in the matches he has played in.
Derek Lilley should partner Davide Fernandez up front, and the ex-Dundee United player has had his shooting boots on recently, scoring a double away at Easter Road snatching one at Tynecastle and coolly converting a penalty in the 2-0 home victory against Partick Thistle a couple of weeks ago. The Lions should have Fernando Pasquinelli back in time for the match as he has been missing due to injury for four weeks, and I wouldn't put it past Davie Hay to stick three attackers on, although I I think Hay will stick to his usual 3-5-2 formation.
The Lions have also acquired the services of Brian Kerr, who is on loan from Newcastle. Kerrsy, who plays at the heart of Rainer Bonhof's midfield for the Under-21s' and is looking to move away from Newcastle, and Livingston should be looking to tie up the future Scotland International at Almondvale on a long-term deal. Another player who is looking very impressive beside Kerr in the midfield is Englishman Lee Makel. Makel has to be one of Livingston's most consistent players this season and has never had a bad game for Livingston. He fights for every ball and has a great scoring record for being a midfielder. He will start the game alongside Australian Stuart Lovell who was out injured for most of last season with a knee injury but has recovered and he has been putting in some important shifts for Livingston in the last few matches.
The defensive line up will see Marvin "god" Andrews at the heart of the Livingston back three. The Trinidad and Tobago International turned down a move to Dundee United, as he knew the Lions were a bigger football club, and that's something the supporters will never forget. Oscar Rubio and Manu Dorado should start the match alongside Marvin, and they will be looking to stop the Motherwell attackers from getting near Roddy McKenzie's goal. Roddy was the Bank Of Scotland player of the month for October, and he faced stiff competition during that month from Celtic and Rangers players performing in the Champions League. But the Bank of Scotland awards panel took note of McKenzie's four consecutive clean sheets, one against Rangers, and chose him over the rest of the players.
The prediction for this match is a tough one. Motherwell play some superb football, but they mainly keep the big results for the Old Firm, but Terry Butcher will get his troops fired up and they will be hungry and looking to move a little bit closer to Hearts who are in third place. Players like Adams, Pearson and Craig are always going to be dangerous, but if Livingston play like they can, then they should be able to keep Motherwell from scoring. Livingston will be raring to go after the easy win over Partick a couple of weeks ago, and Fernandez will be the one player that Motherwell will have to keep a special eye on, because if they don't, then he will rip them apart. I can also see players like Kerr, Lovell and Makel playing a massive part in this match, the midfield is where this match is going to be won or lost, hopefully the three mentioned will be on up for the task in hand and Livingston will have another happy away day.
Prediction - 2-0 to Livi
What about Fir Park? A happy hunting ground you say?
Livingston’s fortunes at Fir Park have been mixed over the last couple of seasons. Livingston’s first competitive match at Fir saw the Lions draw 0-0 quite comfortably with an experienced Motherwell side. The second match saw Livingston claw back from being 1-0 down after a clanger from Nicky Culkin to win the match superbly thanks to a rare Marvin Andrews goal, and a superbly taken Quino goal.
What are Motherwell’s aims for the rest of the season?
A top six would place for Motherwell is what most supporters are looking for. After last year’s embarrassment of being saved from relegation because of the Falkirk saga, the supporters will take nothing less. The club are looking to be out of Administration at the start of next year, and that will be a big relief for all Motherwell supporters.
What about the stadium?
This ground is rather let down by the East stand, and would arguably be one of the best grounds in Scottish football, if this were improved.
This ground has a rather muddled appearance, and has been described as the "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" of football grounds. The reason for this is that the atmosphere, and facilities vary depending on where you sit. It should be said, that the ground is reasonably modern, and a wee bit impressive.
Travel?
Supporters Club bus leaves from Stadium @ 1pm
Motherwell is in the central belt of Scotland is within 30 minutes drive from Livingston. It can be reached via two main motorways (M8 and M74), the Motherwell exits are well signposted on both. The ground is situated just off Windmill Street at the Knowtop Avenue Entrance. Parking for away fans is on Orbiston Street and the ground is a 3-5 minute walk.
Motherwell can also be reached by train and the station is a 15 - 20 minute walk from the ground.
Ticket prices - Adults £10 - Children and senior citizens £5
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A lot has changed at Almondvale since the last match between the sides in August, Marcio Marcello has left the club after an alleged run in with coach Alan Preston and the rest of the backroom staff and he has been replaced by caretaker coach, Davie Hay, who has managed to get some smashing results in a short space of time. Hay has seen his side win four out of five games, and will be hoping to keep the good run going today at Fir Park.
Derek Lilley should partner Davide Fernandez up front, and the ex-Dundee United player has had his shooting boots on recently, scoring a double away at Easter Road snatching one at Tynecastle and coolly converting a penalty in the 2-0 home victory against Partick Thistle a couple of weeks ago. The Lions should have Fernando Pasquinelli back in time for the match as he has been missing due to injury for four weeks, and I wouldn't put it past Davie Hay to stick three attackers on, although I I think Hay will stick to his usual 3-5-2 formation.
The prediction for this match is a tough one. Motherwell play some superb football, but they mainly keep the big results for the Old Firm, but Terry Butcher will get his troops fired up and they will be hungry and looking to move a little bit closer to Hearts who are in third place. Players like Adams, Pearson and Craig are always going to be dangerous, but if Livingston play like they can, then they should be able to keep Motherwell from scoring. Livingston will be raring to go after the easy win over Partick a couple of weeks ago, and Fernandez will be the one player that Motherwell will have to keep a special eye on, because if they don't, then he will rip them apart. I can also see players like Kerr, Lovell and Makel playing a massive part in this match, the midfield is where this match is going to be won or lost, hopefully the three mentioned will be on up for the task in hand and Livingston will have another happy away day.
Prediction - 2-0 to Livi
What about Fir Park? A happy hunting ground you say?
Livingston’s fortunes at Fir Park have been mixed over the last couple of seasons. Livingston’s first competitive match at Fir saw the Lions draw 0-0 quite comfortably with an experienced Motherwell side. The second match saw Livingston claw back from being 1-0 down after a clanger from Nicky Culkin to win the match superbly thanks to a rare Marvin Andrews goal, and a superbly taken Quino goal.
A top six would place for Motherwell is what most supporters are looking for. After last year’s embarrassment of being saved from relegation because of the Falkirk saga, the supporters will take nothing less. The club are looking to be out of Administration at the start of next year, and that will be a big relief for all Motherwell supporters.