Livingston boss David Martindale has challenged Ivan Konovalov to prove he can be next season’s first choice keeper.
The Russian stopper is set to make his Lions debut on Saturday after regular no.1 Max Stryjek was given a two-match ban after being served with a notice of complaint following an incident in last weekend’s win over Aberdeen.
The Polish stopper appeared to strike Vicente Besuijen in the face but was only booked for the incident at the time.
Despite the suspension, Martindale told the Courier that Konovalov was going to start this weekend’s clash against Hibs regardless as he expects Stryjek to depart the club in the summer.
Martindale said: “Ivan’s going to play but to be honest that was always going to be the case as soon as we were safe.
“We’re not quite mathematically there yet but we’re 10 points ahead of St Johnstone, and with a much better goal difference, with only 12 points to play for so you know at this point there's a 99 per cent-plus chance you're safe.
“Ivan was brought in to the club in January with a view to next season because there had been enough interest from other clubs in Max for us to believe he’s not going to be here next season so we need to see what Ivan can do.”
He added: “We think he’s capable of being a no.1 keeper for Livingston but now he’s going to get a run of games to prove that and then that will dictate what I need to look for in the summer.
“Do I need to bring in a back-up who can challenge Ivan for the jersey, or do I need to look for a starter. That’s really up to Ivan to prove in these next few games.”
Livi head into Saturday’s clash with Hibs knowing a win would guarantee a fifth successive top flight campaign - but simply replicating St Johnstone’s result at home to St Mirren will get the job done.
It would be just rewards in a challenging campaign, he says.
“We want to go out there on Saturday and finish the job. I think it would be an incredible achievement to be honest.
“It was a very, very challenging season from a coaching point of view because there were so many changes in the summer. It was a transitional season but it had to happen.
“All the coaching staff and the players deserve a huge amount of credit and the hard work this year means I believe the foundations are already in place for next season.”
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