Irvine Meadow XI v Livingston preview

LIVINGSTON face a tough Scottish Cup tie away to Junior Super League Premier Division side Irvine Meadow XI this weekend, and full back Jason Talbot is fully aware of the difficulties that await Gary Bollan’s men in Ayrshire.

The defender was part of the Livi squad that won both the Third and Second Division over the last two years, and after playing on his fair share of tight pitches in hostile atmospheres, he knows what the Lions will come up against on Saturday.

The West Lothian side go into the game on the back of a commanding performance and 1-0 victory over Hamilton Academical last week at home, and Talbot is confident the players can take their form into Saturday – as long as they win the battle early in the game.

He said, “Last week was a good win. It’s good for the boys to get a win; it’s good for myself to play a part in getting three points; and its good for the manager. I thought we played well, we passed it and the main thing is we battled through the ninety minutes to secure the points.”

“We know it’s going to be tough on Saturday.  I think the pitch is quite tight, so first of all we’re going to have to win the battle. Only after about 20 minutes, if we win the battle, than we can get the ball down and play it. Hopefully we’ll then be able to get the ball down and pass on the deck the way we have been.”

There is no question of anyone at the club taking the match lightly, with Livi preparing to face the junior outfit as they would First Division opposition. Manager Gary Bollan has also had the Meadow Park side scouted twice since the third round draw was made.

Talbot reiterated that claim, and says the squad is fully aware they are facing up to a strong side. Meadow have lost only one league match since the season began – a 1-0 reverse against Pollock in their last outing. 

He said, “We can’t take the tie any other way than as we normally would, to be honest. They are a good side, they’ve been in good form and I think they’ve only lost one match all season.

“We’ve just got to treat it like any league game. Hopefully that means we’ll be able to get the win and move into the next round of the cup.”

First published in the Edinburgh Evening News on 18/11/11