Lions roar into last
Hopkin is delighted to make League Cup knockout stages
Livingston roared into the last 16 of the Betfred Cup following victory over Stranraer on Tuesday night.
The Lions sealed top spot in Group H after a 4-2 victory at Stair Park which ensured they go into their bye this weekend having already booked their place in the knock-out stages.
But they didn’t have it all their own way against the bottom seed in the group as former Livingston defender Morgyn Neill netted against his former club after just five minutes in a frantic first half.
The tie was levelled five minutes later when Scott Robertson put through his own net before Livi took the lead with Dale Carrick’s second goal of the season.
However, the League One side equalised from the spot barely 60 seconds later through Scott Agnew.
Second half goals from Nikolay Todorov and Scott Robinson, who found the net with his first touch in a Livingston jersey, ensured the three points and progress for the visitors.
A delighted David Hopkin said: “I think ours was the toughest group in the competition with four full-time teams and a decent Stranraer side so we’ve done well.”
Progress seemed a long shot for the Championship new boys after they were drawn in the same group as Premiership side Partick Thistle and fellow second tier outfit St Mirren.
But a brilliant penalty shootout victory over the Maryhill side in the first game was followed by a sturdy defensive display in Paisley which helped them to a 1-0 win.
That put Livi’s fate in their own hands with victories over lower league opponents Airdrieonians and Stranraer sealing their last-16 spot.
Livingston will now be waiting nervously to find out if they will be one of the seeded sides in the draw. That will depend on results in other groups over the weekend.
The four group winners with the best records will be seeded along with the four clubs who received byes into the last-16 due to their participation in European competitions (Celtic, Aberdeen, Rangers and St Johnstone).
The draw will take place live on BT Sport this Sunday following their live broadcast of the Dundee v Dundee United clash.
With no competitive action this weekend, Livingston are taking a trip down to Wales to face English Championship side Cardiff City in a friendly.
Lions pair Danny Mullen and Matthew Knox have been training with Neil Warnock’s side all week, meaning they missed the games against Airdrie and Stranraer.
Friday’s friendly at the Cardiff City Stadium (7pm kick-off) will give the Bluebirds a chance to assess the pair in game action before deciding whether to take their interest further.