MacTavish Cup holders Kingussie progress as Lovat also win
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Edinburgh Reporter
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Martindale: ‘we're punching above our weight'
Livingston manager, David Martindale, is not in the William Hill Premiership to make up the numbers, he wants to make a real impact and the 51-year-old is determined to steer the West Lothian side to survival in Scotland's top league. He has recruited heavily during the close season and Martindale revealed: 'If the (transfer) window was to shut tomorrow I would be fairly happy with where we are. Don't get me wrong, but if a wee bit of quality comes along you would probably have to consider that, but I have been telling most agents that that my recruitment time is finished. 'There will probably be two or three outwards, but I am fairly happy with what is in the changing room.' Livingston have been training, said the manager, 'here, there and everywhere', and the squad has enjoyed its first full week of training this week following the end of the Premier Sports Cup group matches which culminated in a 6-0 thrashing of Scottish League One side, Kelty Hearts. The club, he argued, is in the best place it has been for years, and, in that context, Martindale revealed that he has more time on his hands now with support staff in place. He said: 'It has really taken a big work load off my desk. I used to go home and speak to lawyers, get emails from lawyers, and it was overly consuming at times. 'Now I find myself going home with a few hours to spare as I am not having to catch up. There are other people at the club doing that now and I can focus on the team.' Martindale is relishing being back in the top flight and he said: 'I could give you the cliché answers here. I want to manage and coach in the Premiership, the players want to play in the Premiership, my staff want to be coaching and managing in the Premiership, and the football club needs the turnover, that's the bottom line. 'Financially, it is a much easier club to run when you are in the Premiership rather than being in the Championship. 'My target is to stay in the Premiership. I have had that chat with the owner, I've had that chat with the board and it is about consolidating and staying in the Premiership. 'I am not blinkered in that respect, and I know how difficult that is going to be, but, within the changing room, within the staff offices, we do not want to be here making up the numbers, we want to try and push and do as collectively well as we can as a group. 'The fundamental basic parameter is the stay in the Premiership and I am not going into the Premiership with that mindset, I want to compete with everybody. I want to compete with every team, I want to put points up and by doing that it should lead to the main objective and that is staying in the Premiership.' Scoring goals will be crucial and he hopes that his latest recruit, 36-year-old Congolese striker, Jeremy Bokila, who has experience in Belgium, Turkey, Russia, Romania, America and Holland, could be key. Overall, Martindale cast his mind back over the past decade and argued that The Lions have been part of the Premiership in seven out of ten seasons and he said: 'You can argue that it is where we belong, but the counter argument is, being honest, is that we are punching above our weight.' Saturday's first test in the William Hill Premiership is at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock on Saturday (15.00). The sides met in the Premier Sports Cup on July 16 an Killie squeezed home 1-0 with Mo Sylla scoring an own goal to separate the sides, but The Lions enjoyed 53 per cent of possession and Martindale is looking for a better result on this occasion. TUNNEL VISION: The exit to the pitch at the Home of the Set Fare Arena. Picture Nigel Duncan Like this: Like Related
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Adam Idah transfer 'explored' by Udinese as Celtic resolve tested over £9m striker
The striker endured a mixed campaign last season following his big money move to the Hoops Udinese are reportedly considering a move for Celtic striker Adam Idah this summer. The Ireland international made a £9million move to Celtic Park last summer after the Hoops opted to make his loan switch from Norwich City permanent. Idah found the net 20 times last season as Celtic claimed the Premiership crown and the Premier Sports Cup - but struggled to stake a claim to become Brendan Rodgers' first-choice striker. Kyogo Furuhashi lead the line until his January departure for Stade Rennes - with Daizen Maeda moving to a central role to fill the void left by his countryman. And reports in Italy now suggest the Serie A club are ready to test the resolve of the Scottish champions to keep Idah going into the new season. Tutto Udinese claim a deal is being 'explored" as the Idah 'fits the profile" of the attackers they are looking for after Lorenzo Lucca left for a loan switch to Napoli. Technical director Gokhan Inler has revealed that the club are undergoing a wide-ranging search to replace the 20-goal hitman. He said: "There are names from both Italy and abroad; the list is long, and we've narrowed them down. We're now evaluating five or six players; we'll figure out which one is the best fit for us." Idah has stated clearly during pre-season that his goal his to become the main man at Parkhead this summer. Asked if he felt he could hit the 30-goal benchmark, he responded: 'Yeah, 100 per cent. I said it last season. The more minutes I play, the more goals I'm going to score, and it's a fact. 'I scored 20 goals with the minutes I've played, which is really good. So I'm sure the more minutes I play, I'll score more goals and I'm confident enough in myself that I can get to that. It's only a benchmark, so hopefully I can do it next season.' Rodgers has has already made it clear that he wants to add more firepower to the side having lost Kuhn, Kyogo and Matt O'Riley in the last three windows. However, it remains to be seen if the club will look to cash-in on the 24-year-old with the new league campaign and Champions League qualifier fast approaching. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Celtic page, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
Hearts v Dundee closed-door game ends in a four-goal thriller between SPFL Premiership sides
Edinburgh club start the SPFL Premiership against Aberdeen on Monday Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hearts and Dundee played a closed-door friendly at Riccarton this afternoon which ended in a 2-2 draw. Both sides used the fixture to give first-team players game time, with Yan Dhanda and Alexandros Kyziridis scoring for the home side. The Hearts team included many first-team squad members who need more match practice following this month's Premier Sports Cup ties. Head coach Derek McInnes is preparing his side for Monday's William Hill Premiership opening match against Aberdeen at Tynecastle Park. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Goalkeeper Ryan Fulton played against Dundee along with defenders Adam Forrester, Michael Steinwender and Stephen Kingsley. Midfielders Dhanda and Sander Kartum, wingers Sabah Kerjota and Kyziridis, plus forward Kenneth Vargas, were all involved. Teenage defender Kenzi Nair also played after agreeing a co-operation loan deal with League Two side Spartans. Dundee manager Steven Pressley takes charge of his first league game on Saturday when Hibs visit Dens Park. He has made a number of new signings and used the bounce match against Hearts to test his players against Premiership counterparts. Dundee lost their opening two competitive games of the campaign against Airdrie and Alloa Athletic in this month's Premier Sports Cup group phase. Those defeats preceded a 3-1 win against Bonnyrigg Rose and a 5-0 victory over Montrose in their final group ties. However, they did not progress to the tournament's knockout phase. Hearts coasted through Group E with four wins and 16 goals scored to earn a seeding berth for the last-16. They were drawn away to St Mirren in a tie which is due to take place in the middle of next month. More to follow....
