Pars are toughest test yet
Hopkin rallies his players
Livingston boss David Hopkin admits his side will have to be at their best if they are to take anything against free-scoring Dunfermline Athletic.
The Lions make the short trip to East End Park on Saturday sitting a surprise second in the Championship table but will be up against the division’s most potent attack. Athletic have found the net 22 times this term but were shut out for the first time last weekend as they drew 0-0 away to Queen of the South. But the Livi boss is under no illusions about the challenge that faces his players on Saturday. He said: “Dunfermline probably boast the best attack in the division. They have lots of good players and different options that they can use so we know it’s going to be very difficult. “Allan Johnston has built a very good side and it will be a difficult challenge for us. They’re tough to beat at home but we can only worry about ourselves. “We’re going to have to be at our best to stop them and that’s what we’ll be working to do. We’ll work hard in training all week, all we can focus on is everyone doing their job.”
The former Scotland international refused to get carried away by his side’s start to the campaign. He said: “It’s been a good start and everyone is confident. The week off did us the world of good because we came out fresh against Dundee United and performed well.
“We scored two terrific goals and deserved to get the win but all we’re worrying about is ourselves and making sure we work hard and play well. If we do that, then everything else will take care of itself.”
Declan Gallagher is available for selection after serving his two-game ban but Nicky Cadden remains an injury doubt while Ross Brown is out long term.
However, Raffaele de Vita returned from his ankle injury to make a late substitute appearance at the weekend and the boss hopes the winger will be back to his best.
He said: “Raffa came on and showed that we’ve been missing a wee bit of guile and intelligence. He played well even though he wasn’t on the field for that long.
“Nicky’s able to train but we really just want to make sure that he’s ready and his shoulder is fine.”
For a full match report on Livingston’s win over Dundee United and an interview with Bulgarian striker Nikolay Todorov, turn to pages 54-55.