Reilly relishes chance for debut against Celtic
WITH the prospect of a debut against Celtic followed by a cup semi-final at Hampden, Gavin Reilly admits he couldn’t have asked for a better first week at Livingston.
The former St Mirren and Hearts striker is in line for his bow against the Parkhead side tonight after going through a rigorous fitness regime since signing earlier this month.
The 27-year-old has timed his run perfectly as the West Lothian side prepare for a rearranged league game that has been elevated even higher in profile by the problems currently afflicting their Parkhead opponents.
With a push being made for fourth in the Premiership and Sunday’s Betfred Cup semi-final against St Mirren on the horizon, Reilly knows this could be one of the biggest weeks in the club’s recent history.
He said: “It would be some game to get thrown into. I signed a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn’t played a lot of football before coming here at the end of last month.
“So, I thought it was best to get a good week and a half training under my belt first before being involved in the squad.
“Hopefully I’m involved on Wednesday and it’s a great game to look forward to.
“The guys have done brilliantly. It is a lot better coming into a team that’s doing well rather than one that’s struggling.
“There’s a lot less pressure on you if you aren’t at the bottom of the table.
“We’re in a good place at the moment and hopefully we’ll keep that going with a win on Wednesday.
“It’s some first week to be involved with the squad – Celtic at home and then a cup semi-final.
“I might not get the opportunity to play at Hampden again and, while there won’t be any fans there, at the end of the day it’s still a showpiece game at the national stadium.
“Right now, it’s a case of taking each game as it comes and we have Celtic up first, and I’ve been looking forward to that one as well.
“But, obviously, there’s a real chance for this team to reach a major final and there’s no
reason why we can’t do that.”
Reilly is back in Scottish football after two-and-a-half-years south of the border.
The former Queen of the South marksman struggled for consistency in spells with Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town and Carlisle United before Livingston swooped earlier this month.
And that landed a lengthy chase for Lions manager David Martindale, who is a long-term admirer of Reilly.
He added: “I’m grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to come here. He tried to sign me when I was at St Mirren and it fell through for one reason or another, but I’m delighted he got it over the line this time and I’m happy to be here.
“He also tried to sign me the summer that I left St Mirren [in 2018] but Bristol Rovers came in so I decided to take that chance and I don’t regret that for any reason at all.
“Then he tried to sign me when the Rovers manager resigned but I started playing regularly for them. However, I’m glad it’s finally done now.”
Meanwhile, Livingston have announced the capture of Jackson Longridge on a two-and-ahalf-year deal.
Longridge played for the West Lothian outfit between 2015 and 2018, before spells at Dunfermline and latterly Bradford City.
The 25-year-old defender played 122 times for Livingston in his first spell at the club and was part of two promotion campaigns.
Speaking to the club’s website about the deal, manager David Martindale said: “I’m delighted to welcome Jacko back to the club where he played a massive part in our back-toback promotions.”