In pre-season, it was universally acknowledged that our small squad would cause us problems. We were without three players last week – Adams, Lasley and Fagan – and this was enough to throw the midfield into chaos. Craig looked uncomfortable at left midfield and Kevin McDonald looked like a boy who had won a competition to appear in an SPL match.
The bad news is that it is unlikely much will have changed.
The one bright note is that James McFadden – boosted by his inclusion in the full national squad – should be fit to return to the starting line up. The aforementioned injuries mean it is likely we will have a Burns and Clarkson partnership up front with Faddy playing on one of the wings. Pearson and Leitch will join McFadden in the middle.
Despite his appalling error last week, Gordon Marshall will almost certainly keep his place in goal. Terry Butcher seems to have made it perfectly clear that last week’s back four is his favoured defence and it would be a pleasant surprise if anything changed there.
Until the last meeting between the sides, we had never beaten Livi in a competitive match. We vanquished that jinx with a 6-2 romp and if we can somehow get a repeat result this week, we will be delighted. However, it seems to be incredibly optimistic to think we’ll record a rare away win. A draw might not be beyond us though – 1-1.