Alexander happy to have selection dilemma
MOTHERWELL V LIVINGSTON
MOTHERWELL manager Graham Alexander has welcomed the selection dilemma captain Declan Gallagher’s return to fitness has posed.
“It’s not a headache for me,” said Alexander after the Scotland centre-back came off the bench late in last Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Hibernian.
“It’s a headache when you are trying to put a team together and you haven’t got enough players. But when you have more than 11 good players, that’s a good position to be in for a manager.
“You have to make clear decisions and you have to decide between good players. That’s the scenario we have as managers, when almost every Friday you feel like you are rejecting good players when you are picking the team.
“We have Declan and several others who have not been in the team and are fighting to be in the team. There were reasons Declan wasn’t in the team, obviously because of his injury, but his reaction to training and how he has pushed himself to be fit has been superb.”
Meanwhile, Steve Lawson says helping Livingston clinch a European spot would more than make up for the agonising Betfred Cup final defeat.
Davie Martindale’s side are fifth and can claim their spot in the top half of the table after the split by matching Dundee United’s result.
But Togo international Lawson has his sights set on trying to catch at least the Dons, who are fourth and eight points better off having played one more game.
“Of course the final was disappointing but we just look forward,”’ Lawson said. “If someone had asked at the beginning of the season, ‘do you prefer to win the Betfred Cup or have a spot in the Europa League?’, everyone would have a spot in the Europa League.
“At the beginning of the season, no-one would say that Livingston could finish, fourth, fifth, sixth. We don’t have pressure on us.”