i can be even stevens with matenathan
STENHOUSEMUIR ......... 1 LIVINGSTON .................... 3
LIVINGSTON’S two-goal hero Steven Bradley was a school-mate and teammate of Scotland star Nathan Patterson.
And inspired by his old pal’s journey, the 20year-old is determined to follow in his footsteps by reaching the top.
The winger was at the Rangers academy and the SFA’s performance school at Holyrood Secondary with Patterson.
But unlike Patterson, who broke into the first team before a move to Everton, Bradley is now starring in the Premiership with Livingston following spells at Queen’s Park and Hibs as well as loans with Ayr and Dundalk.
Bradley also made three substitute appearances at Easter Road but with chances limited, he signed for Livi last month.
And he looks to be another astute acquisition by David Martindale as his double ensured they avoided a Scottish Cup shock.
Stenhousemuir defender Nicky Jamieson’s first-half header left Livi toiling.
But Scott Pittman’s 52nd-minute leveller sparked a seven-minute goal blitz as Bradley fired them into the lead with a stunning free-kick before notching their third.
Bradley said “Nathan’s had an amazing career but the sky’s the limit for me.
“Hopefully I can kick on from here, get more games, more minutes and more goals and see where that can take me.
“Nathan’s been an inspiration. I’ve done exactly what he’s done since youth level – why can’t I achieve the same
things as him?” Bradley opened his account for the Lions and was thrilled to see his free-kick find the net after being off target with a first-half set-piece.
He said: “I was desperate to show the manager I could do better and I was happy when the second one went in.
“We just needed to find that extra something in the final third and did that after the break.”
Jamieson had hopes of a cup shock after his header and said: “The game plan was working perfectly. Then there was a 10-minute spell when we fell apart and their second goal killed us.”