New Livi striker inspired by Scots skipper

Former scaffolder Salim Kouider-Aissa admits he is using Scotland skipper Andy Robertson as inspiration as he looks to rebuild his career with Livingston.

The new Lions signing found himself back playing amateur football with his friends and working on building sites after his first taste of the senior ranks turned sour.

The striker, 24, broke through at 17 with Stenhousemuir but soon fell out of love with the game during spells with Queen of the South and Stirling Albion

But he is now ready to grasp his first chance at top-flight football after a spell at League Two Queen’s Park won him a move to Almondvale.

The foundations to Kouider-Aissa’s comeback were laid with local amateur outfit Lenzie Thistle then junior side Kilsyth Rangers, where he blasted 41 goals in 38 appearances.

He returned to the seniors with Queen’s Park last season and spurred on by images of Liverpool’s new Premier League winning leftback Robertson – who also resurrected his career with the Spiders after being released by Celtic as a teenager – he hammered home another 17 strikes to convince Livi boss Gary Holt he was worth a twoyear deal.

“My year at Queen’s Park was brilliant for me,” said Kouider-Aissa. “You’d be training at Lesser Hampden twice a week and you could see Andy Robertson’s face plastered all over the place.

“The whole time you’re training you’re wondering, ‘Could that be me one day?’

“If you take your time and work hard, something Andy has done, then it shows what can happen. Look where he is now.”