Five Things: League Cup Quarter Final - Ross County
A comfortable win at Almondvale, saw Livingston book their place in the Semi-Final of the League cup. Here are Five Things:
Livingston’s depth is helping them change games, and could see them through a busy period
One of the things that we’ve seen in Livingston’s dealings in the transfer market is a “more is more” approach. Players come in, the deadwood is soon cut and the hidden gems are polished. In the last few seasons, a number of players have come through the doors at the Tony Mac. Cece Pepe, Ibrahima Savane & Henk Van Schaik have come and gone without making much of an impact, Anthony Stokes made an impact because he did literally nothing before leaving. Players have come in and made a name for themselves before leaving, Dykes & Lawless spring to mind. And then there have, of course, been players who have come in and are now indispensable, Jon Guthrie, Nicky Devlin & Marvin Bartley all signed last summer and have gone on to become key players. However, arguably one of the biggest advantages gained with the players that have come in are the squad players.
Jason Holt & Ciaron Brown are players who aren’t going to start every game but have further highlighted the depth that the current squad possess when they do come into the team. Against St. Johnstone, the introduction of Brown, and the change in shape that it precipitated, played a big part in Livingston’s ability to go on and win the game. Against Ross County, similar changes were made. Forrest made way for Brown at half time and Holt replaced Mullin with half an hour to go. Even with these changes being made the bench was packed with players who could make an impact, Efe Ambrose, Aaron Taylor-Sinclair, Steve Lawson are all players who over the course of the last 18 months have played their part, often as starters.
These players will be needed and flexibility is particularly important given the run of fixtures the squad are about to embark on. Livingston play 4 games in 10 days over the festive period and face a similar run at the end of January, dates that circle the League Cup semi-final, will put further strain on tired legs. Strength in depth will be key to maximising points and progression in that period.
Luck turning in Livi’s favour
Any fan of any club will tell you that when the chips are down, it’s all about luck. The early parts of the 2020/2021 season have been marred by a combination of poor luck, poor performance and a lack of consistency. However, against County there were moments where the ball broke our way where in previous months it might not have. For the opener, a mess of legs and swipes at a moving ball, eventually saw Regan Charles-Cook play the ball towards Scott Robinson who was able to turn and set Craig Sibbald off towards goal. There was nothing lucky about Robinson’s quick turn and pass or Sibbald’s finish but it’s felt in games gone by like that passage of play would have seen the ball bounce to the feet of an unmarked County player or for the referee to uphold the offside decision made by the linesman.
At the other end, at times the defence rode their luck to an extent, and were helped out by some good goalkeeping by Max Stryjek. County found their way through the Livingston back four, most notably with Ross Stewart and really should have done better. There’s an element of luck that Livingston have come up against him now when he’s out of form and struggling for goals but that shouldn’t take away from Stryjek’s good work in the Livi goal.
Post match, Martindale spoke after the game about how it felt like the Lions picked up the rub of the (fake) green and it’s hard to disagree.
Scott Robinson is Mr. Livingston
It’s becoming over stated to say that Scott Robinson epitomises Livingston and the team ethic and philosophy that is behind much of the club’s recent successes. Show me a commentator who hasn’t said it and I’ll show you a commentator who hasn’t seen him play. In a way, it’s almost reductive to call Scott Robinson a utility player, he’s shown time and time again exactly how valuable he is to the team. But that’s exactly what he is, in his substitute appearances this season, he’s replaced Craig Sibbald in the middle of the park, Alan Forrest on the wing and Scott Tiffoney up top, and when he’s started
games he’s played in all three positions as well. In a team that was criticised for putting square pegs in round holes, (yes, I’m looking at you Efe Ambrose at left wing back) he has been able to slot in anywhere across the middle and front and look more than comfortable. It’s that adaptability that has given him longevity with the club and ensured that he’s stayed with the club as long as he has.
Against County he made his 100th appearance for the club and capped it with an assist and involvement in the second, where he wins a header that he has very little right to be winning, that puts County defender Callum Morris under real pressure from Scott Pittman. His scurrying runs made life difficult for the County defence throughout his time on the pitch and was unlucky not to spectacularly add to his goal at the weekend, hitting the bar on 55 minutes with a fantastic volley.
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| Craig Sibbald scores Livi's first - Wyscout |
Max Stryjek is Number 1, and that might benefit Robby McCrorie long term
Max Stryjek is a player who, the longer he spent on the bench, the better a goalkeeper he became in the eyes of Livingston fans. The young Polish keeper found opportunities limited in the early part of the season and after a couple of mistakes from Robby McCrorie, fans were calling for him to replace the on-loan Rangers goalkeeper. The switch was made after the “perfect storm” of the second Rangers game, which McCrorie was unavailable for, the international break and a positive COVID test for McCrorie, and Stryjek appears to have made the number 1 jersey his after having previously been limited to League Cup appearances.
Against County, Stryjek was rarely called into action but, when he was, he handled himself well. The biggest County chance fell to Ross Stewart after 35 minutes, but on this and the other couple of occasions he was called upon Stryjek dealt with them well, providing a bit of solidity behind the Livi back four.
With Stryjek playing well, it would be difficult to drop him and there seems to be little appetite from Martindale to change a team that is clearly working. Given that, the break for McCrorie has probably come at the right time. As a young player, who was under the microscope of a fanbase which had seen him make game costing mistakes going back to last season, taking a beat to get his confidence back up and to work on his consistency under a highly regarded goalkeeping coach like Tony Caig can only be a good thing. Whilst eventually McCrorie will return to his parent club, where he is still highly regarded, there is still time for him to make his mark at Livingston and a period out of the starting 11 could be just what is required to allow him to do so.
Smells Like Team Spirit
Lastly, Martindale spoke post-match about how it felt like there had been a change in the mentality of the players in recent weeks. Players were working harder for each other, letting each other know when standards were not being met and when more was required. Older players were stepping up and taking responsibility for what was going on, on the pitch.
In recent years, one of the key things that had come out of the Livingston dressing room was about how strong it was and about how every player was bringing something to the table. This season it appeared to have gone, at the very least, stale. Martindale’s comments ring true given the type of performances that we’re seeing on the pitch. It looks like the intensity that went hand in hand with that dressing room mentality has returned, the hunting in packs, players digging each other out.
With so many important games coming up, team spirit will be vitally important if Livi are to kick on in league and cup competition.
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