Livingston boss David Martindale says his gamble paid off as injured keeper Shamal George produced a stunning performance in their win over Aberdeen.
The 24-year-old picked up a thigh strain last month, which saw him miss Celtic’s trip to West Lothian a fortnight ago.
But he played through the injury and produced a starring role in Livi’s 2-1 victory over the Dons on Tuesday night.
A string of impressive saves, including a first-half penalty from Bojan Miovski, ensured the Lions were able to hold on to all three points after racing out to an early two-goal lead.
The win lifted Livi into fourth place and made it back-to-back league wins.
A delighted Martindale heaped praise on his no.1, saying: “The difference between the two teams was Shamal. I thought he was fantastic and he pulled off some incredible saves – including the penalty.
“I took a big gamble in playing him. He’s got a thigh injury that he picked up at Ibrox a few weeks ago and then he had to come out of the squad the next game.
“He was away getting treatment this week and I think the gamble paid off. He’s on painkillers and has it strapped but the more and more the game goes on, the more he struggles with it.
“It was a gamble but he was magnificent and I thought he was the best player on the park.”
Next up for the Lions is a short trip to Edinburgh to face Hearts in what is the final clash before the World Cup break.
Martindale confessed he’s delighted with his club’s points tally over recent days but he’s eyeing more at Tynecastle.
He said: “If you’d offered me six points in these three games before the break, I’d have bit your hands off. To be honest, I’d probably have taken three draws and being unbeaten but there’s no reason why we can’t go and get nine.
“It will be a very difficult game at Tynecastle and I’m fairly happy with where we are, but I want a wee bit more.”
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