McMenamin ready to make mark for third time

COLIN McMENAMIN will start for Livingston against Hearts tomorrow, aiming to complete a quick-fire hat-trick of goals against the top three sides in the country.

The striker climbed off the bench to net his side’s consolation goal in last Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to champions-elect Celtic and also notched a late equaliser during his midweek cameo against Rangers.

With a thigh injury set to keep top scorer Derek Lilley out of the Tynecastle clash, boss Davie Hay has confirmed McMenamin will be given an opportunity to show if he can make an impact in the starting XI.

The former Annan Athletic forward was sent out to Falkirk on loan for the opening half of the season to gain first-team experience and improve the physical side of his game. Since returning to Almondvale in January he has netted five goals but has only started twice, something he is keen to rectify.

He said: "I think things have gone a bit better than expected for me since I returned from Falkirk.

"I expected to be put back into the under-21 side for a while, but I’ve been involved with the first team every week which has been good.

"Maybe I was helped by the club going into administration but now I feel I need to keep it going.

"However, I’m at an age now where I need to be starting games. It’s not even a case of wanting to push for a place, I need to be out there.

"Hopefully my chance will come against Hearts. I’m pleased with my goal return, I’ve scored five from only two starts which is pretty good and I’m in double figures for the season when you count my Falkirk goals.

"I’d like a few more and it would be good to get one against Hearts. I’ve enjoyed coming on against Celtic and Rangers and hopefully the goals have shown the manager what I’m capable of."

Coaches Allan Preston and Billy Kirkwood pulled McMenamin aside recently to tell the 23-year-old that he needed to do more if he was to establish himself as a first-team regular.

While he possesses pace and a natural predators’ instinct - he finished top scorer in the English reserve league during a short spell at Newcastle and again topped the under-21 league chart last season - there remain doubts over his physique and general contribution to games outside the penalty area.

Preston regards the player as a more gifted goalscorer than Lilley who has struck 17 times this term.

But he insists that Lilley’s work-rate and general contribution to the team have made him the established partner to David Fernandez this term.

He said: "Colin is a goalscorer - I would back him to score a goal against anybody at the club. Left foot, right foot or with his head he has shown he knows how to finish.

"He is a ball magnet when the ball goes into the box and he is very composed when faced with the target. But he gets brushed aside too often and we’ve told him he needs to be physically stronger. David Fernandez is not bigger than Colin but he has fantastic upper body strength and knows how to hold players off and that’s something Colin has to try and work on.

"There’s no doubt at all about his goalscoring ability but sometimes he doesn’t do as well when he starts games.

"He seems to fade away when he starts but when you bring him on as a sub you get a reaction - as he showed against Celtic and Rangers.

"Myself and Billy Kirkwood had serious words with him in the past couple of weeks and told him he wasn’t doing enough.

"He wasn’t sticking out in the under-21 games in which we used him and we told him he needed to maintain his standards. To be fair he has responded and done very well over the past two or three games."

Almost the entire Livingston first-team squad’s contracts expires in the summer, with the administration process precluding any fresh negotiation.

Already, Marvin Andrews has taken advantage of his rights as a free agent by agreeing a deal to join Rangers for next season and others may follow suit.

However, McMenamin is one of five whose contract runs into next term and he can expect his fair share of action over the half-dozen remaining games.

Confirming the striker will start tomorrow, Hay insisted his goals against the Old Firm have signalled he is ready to make an impression.

He said: "Once again Colin looked really bright in midweek and to score against both halves of the Old Firm in the space of a few days shows he has a real talent.

"He had let himself down in a couple of games recently but after Billy and Allan spoke to him he showed the right sort of reaction and he deserves his chance tomorrow."

Skipper Stuart Lovell is set to return to the Lions midfield after being rested for the Rangers game.

Defender Rubio will be missing, however, as he serves a one-match suspension.

Emmanuel Dorado will partner Andrews at the back as the big Trinidadian embarks on the closing straight of his Livingston career.

Taken from the Scotsman