Livingston boss David Martindale heaped praise on skipper Nicky Devlin after the full-back turned in an exceptional display in their win over Ross County.
The 29-year-old looks set to leave West Lothian in the summer after four seasons with Martindale admitting he’s actively searching for a new club down south for his captain.
Devlin put in arguably his best performance of the season as the Lions climbed back into the top six thanks to a 2-1 win over the Staggies at the Tony Macaroni Arena.
He bagged his third goal of the season - a thunderous 20-yard effort in 38 minutes just seconds after Joel Nouble had nodded home a James Penrice cross to give Livi the lead.
The captain was a threat going forward all afternoon and twice forced Ross Laidlaw into smart saves while he put in a study defensive shift.
Simon Murray did pull one back from close range on 69 minutes but the Lions held firm to bag all three points with Martindale effusive in his praise for Devlin - both the player and the leader - afterwards.
He commented: “I’ve had players at the club that I know want to move on.
“There’s a good chance Nicky might not be here but I would never question his character or his application. That’s why he is the captain of this football club.
“He gives everything he’s got and has done from day one. Whoever gets Nicky will be very lucky and to be honest I’ll probably put him into a couple of clubs down south if he’s got a chance to go there.”
He added: “His character and his application are some of the main reasons I signed him in the first place - the way he goes about his business in his every day life.
“I think he came into the club as a good right-back but I think he’ll leave as a very good right-back. He has kicked on massively and took the responsibility of captain quite seamlessly.
“Whoever gets him has a good player for nothing.”
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here
