MARTINDALE IS USING FINAL AS A SALES PITCH

HE would dearly love to win it, of course, but believes that, in one sense, Livingston already can’t lose. Seven years after first walking through the door at Almondvale, David Martindale will lead the Lions to Hampden having seen their journey come full circle. Now re-established as a force in the Scottish game, a club who have known insolvency, demotion and chaos since last winning the League Cup in 2004, have redefined themselves. Beating St Johnstone on Sunday would naturally help in the quest for ongoing improvement, but the feeling of growing momentum is already palpable. ‘I do believe this will give our club a bit more exposure and credibility,’ Martindale (below) said. ‘Surely that’s got to help boys when they are looking at clubs? ‘We’re not the best payers, so if it’s a choice between going somewhere or coming to Livingston for a few hundred pounds a week less, surely boys weigh these things up. ‘Hopefully, Livingston can secure top-six two years on the trot and, potentially, we could be League Cup winners. ‘You would hope that would play a part in potential player recruitment in the future. ‘Worst case scenario and we don’t lift the cup, I still think being in the top six and getting to a cup final will still play a part. We’re a team that’s on the upwards trajectory and, hopefully, we can stay like that by clever recruitment.’ The club have stayed grounded throughout the success of the past few years, a fact summed up by the manager’s plans for what might be the day after the night before. ‘My wife told me she had taken Monday off work. I asked her why,’ Martindale added. ‘She said in case we win the cup. I told her: “If we win the cup, we are in training, Martha”! We won’t be doing anything different. So I think Martha’s cancelled her day off!’ That bluntness extends to his dilemmas over team selection. Where most managers would lose sleep pondering how to break the bad news to those players not involved in the final, Martindale is phlegmatic. ‘There’s a dark side to me, so I quite enjoy it,’ he grinned. ‘Listen, there can only be 11 players who can take part in the game initially and you can only strip 20. ‘So there’s probably going to be one or two I will owe it to as a player to bring them into the office to explain why they are not playing. That’s not going to be due to ability. I have got to find the correct formation and the right team to try to win the trophy.’