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Sport
Liam Smillie

Livingston beat Linlithgow Rose 6-0 in a decisive result for the pre-season friendly match

The result went by the form book as Livingston beat Linlithgow Rose 6-0 in a pre-season friendly match on Tuesday.

The game was the second which Livi have played this week after losing 3-0 to Greenock Morton.

After the latest game, which was played at the Tony Macaroni Stadium, Livi manager Davie Martindale said: “It was okay, we changed it up a wee bit from Saturday. The boys played well and did everything that was asked of them.

“We saw some decent play, good passing, and some cracking finishes – I’m fairly happy with the outcome.

“At these pre-season friendlies I don’t look too much into the result – it’s just about trying to get minutes into the boys’ legs, make sure the boys are carrying out instructions, and getting used to patterns of play.

“Linlithgow gave us a good run of it, they were competitive, and they played a high line – they could have sat in and nullified the rest of the game – so I respect they came out and made a play of it.

“We’ve got a lot to thank Linlithgow for as well – I want the squad to be approaching the game in the right manner, getting the right mindset going up against lower league opposition can be challenging.

“But they did what they had to, they moved the ball quickly, made some decent calls, and kept a clean sheet.

“It’s our second proper game in preseason and the boys are performing to expectation thankfully.

“Scoring an early goal makes these matches a lot easier – the longer the game goes on against a lower league team, they take a bit of heart from that, which can make them sit in a wee bit more when they have something to hold on to.

“But that early goal changed the dynamic of the game, it really opens up the play – which is why I have to say again, fair play to Linlithgow as they could have sat in deeper.

“They gave us a game, they pressed the ball, and gave us a good run of it for 90 minutes.”

The teams walked off the pitch at half-time with a 3-0 scoreline and Livi added three more goals in the second half to make it 6-0.

Livingston will go up against Albion Rovers in the first stage of the Scottish League Cup this Saturday in what promises to be a busy pre-season for the squad ahead of their first match-up against Rangers at the start of the season.

David Martindale went on to speak about training ahead of the season starting at the end of this month. He said:“The training camp over at Murcia went alright – unfortunately we only got one competitive fixture over there when I was hoping we could get two.

“I was worried we were a bit behind the 8 ball, but feel better now getting the two games under our belt and ready to face Albion Rovers on Saturday.

“We’re looking forward to the game this weekend. We’ve not had the chance to go to Cliftonhill in six years since we played in League 1.

“At the end of this month we’re up against Rangers in the first match of the season – the second time facing Rangers in the opening day and the third time in five years we’re going up against one of the Old Firm teams on opening day.

“The fixtures computer certainly hasn’t been nice to us.”

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