Brown hopes for third time lucky for Livingston loan
WITH a new international manager to impress and a possible day out at Wembley to consider, Ciaron Brown admits he chose the predictability of Livingston over the uncertainty of Cardiff City.
The 22-year-old has returned to Livingston for a third loan spell, citing the lack of risk in another move north and the imminent kick-off to the Premiership campaign next weekend as major factors in opting to rejoin the Lions.
Despite an injury curtailing his first stint in West Lothian two seasons ago and the coronavirus crisis cutting short his second stay in March, the formidable defender is convinced he knows what he is getting on and off the pitch at the Tony Macaroni Arena and the possibilities presented by the club.
It was during his initial loan with Livi that he caught the attention of Northern Ireland, for whom he qualifies thanks to his Belfast-born mother, and with his under-21 boss Ian Barraclough having since taken over from Michael O’Neill, Brown is eager to add to his solitary full international cap.
“Coming back here I know what they want, how we play, our ambitions, so it was a no-brainer for me,” he explained, despite the outside chance of being involved should Cardiff reach the Championship play-off final on August 4. “Scotland start a lot sooner than other leagues and I can slot straight in as I am comfortable here.
“I spoke to the manager at Cardiff and we both thought I might not play a lot this season, so the best thing was for me to go out and get games. By the time they come back [for next season], I could have played a few games and by the time Christmas comes along I will have hopefully played plenty of football.
“I am going to be getting a lot more experience than I would at Cardiff right now. It is hard to leave when they are in the play-offs and have the chance to maybe go to Wembley and be promoted. I would love to be there with the boys and cheering them on and I hope they do it.
“Right now, though, I had to look at myself and I need to be playing to get where I want to be. If I want to play at Cardiff I want to have that experience that I can just go straight into the team – Livingston gives me that chance.”