WITH his nation’s leaders making enemies worldwide with their invasion of Ukraine, Ivan Konovalov has revealed he has been thankful for the hand of friendship at Livingston.
The goalkeeper, who signed from Rubin Kazan in January, is this afternoon expected to become the first Russian to play in UK football since his country went to war with their neighbours in February.
After delays in obtaining a visa, Konovalov finally arrived at Almondvale just a few days before Vladimir Putin ordered his military offensive against Ukraine.
With no direct flights home to see his wife and daughter in Moscow and prices at a premium since then, the Lions’ newest recruit has been left feeling isolated in Scotland.
But the 27-year-old has revealed Russian-speaking Max Stryjek, his rival for a starting berth in the Livi team, has helped smooth a worrying time for him off the pitch as he prepares for his on-field bow against Hibernian this afternoon.
He said: “On my first day, I went into the changing room and Max came to me to say ‘hello’ and he spoke with me in Russian.
“I asked him where he had learned Russian and he told me he knew some Russian - and he is very good.
“He has helped me a lot. I know English but here many people speak too fast and if they speak too fast I can’t understand!
“I speak with him in English and he speaks with me in Russian, and we practice.
“It has been difficult. My wife needs to work in Moscow to be with my daughter and I need to work here for football.
“I have played football for 23 years so I know that I need to do what I need to do, and my wife understands that also.
“It was very difficult when things happened in Ukraine because there are no direct flights and it takes 20 hours going one way.
“But that would not be a problem if you are going home - two days, three days it would not be a problem.
“Everything is okay, because I have parents in Moscow and my wife has parents in Moscow, so they can help my wife.
“I don’t have to worry because she has everything she needs.
“I need big concentration for this game, because I haven’t played for a long time. It is my first time playing in a new country and in a new league.
“It is a new chance for me, and I need to make sure I am only concentrating on what is happening on the pitch.”
Konovalov, whose family are in the process of obtaining a visa to join him, admits he knew little of Livingston when his representative broached the possibility of a move to West Lothian at the turn of the year.
But, with a deeper knowledge of Celtic and Rangers, and Aberdeen because of global icon Sir Alex Ferguson, he insists it took him just a few moments to decide to try his luck in Scottish football.
He added: “My agent called me in January and told me he had spoken with the coach of Livingston, who was needing a goalie. I told him, ‘I’m going, no problem’.
“I knew Scottish football. I didn’t see too much but on Russian TV, before the situation in the world, we had two Scottish Premiership matches per week.
“I had heard of Livingston but I knew it was not a big name in Scottish football - not like the big names like Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Aberdeen because of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“The other teams I had seen but but did not know too much about them.
“I had a look on the internet and saw that Livingston was between Glasgow and Edinburgh, and close to the airport and I thought, ‘I’ll go, no problem’.
“I could have gone to Greece last summer but I had a problem getting a visa so I didn’t go in the end and had to spend the next five months at Rubin.
“I’ve been at Rubin for four years but they hired another coach and he didn’t want me to play.
“He told me he didn’t have a problem with me being his second or third goalie. But that was a problem for me! I want to play every game.
“I hoped to play in a top league in Europe and for that I needed to play, play, play.
“The last year it was very difficult for me psychologically, because I was training but without playing any games.
“You try to live with it but it was very difficult.”
