Fitzwater helps Livvy hit the reset button

LIVINGSTON are already four months into the campaign, with 20 fixtures under their belt, 33 goals scored and no shortage of drama and disappointment in the rearview mirror. However, Jack Fitzwater insists their season truly began on Saturday. They produced the perfect response to Gary Holt’s startling resignation by hammering Ayr United to canter into the quarter-finals of the Betfred Cup under the interim command of David Martindale. It would be hugely unfair to Holt to suggest Livingston played like a side invigorated by his departure, but an opening salvo of three goals in 12 minutes was certainly indicative of a group of players determined to prove a point. And defender Fitzwater is adamant they must use Saturday’s triumph to hit the reset button on everything that has gone before. ‘Our season will start from now and we’ve got to improve on the last few weeks’ results,’ said the 23-year-old Englishman. ‘You saw our determination from the first whistle. We haven’t had a good few weeks and we needed to get a result. ‘Seeing a manager go is one of those things in football. It happens and you have to draw a line in the sand and go again. ‘And I think the way we’ve trained since it happened, and the way we went about things in Saturday’s game, shows that we’re a good group of lads. ‘There’s more to come from us, too. If we keep up the standards we’ve set against Ayr it will stand us in good stead.’ The victory also served as a useful starting gun for Fitzwater’s own Livingston career. He has endured an injury-hit season since joining the Lions from Walsall in the summer and, even prior to his fitness battle, was far from the first name on the teamsheet under Holt. But he made up for lost time against Ayr, adding to Joe Chalmers’ early own goal by lashing a low shot past Viljami Sinisalo before securing his brace with a powerful header minutes later. Alan Forrest completed the scoring for Livingston on the cusp of half-time.