Fox braced for difficult test against on-song Ton

LIVINGSTON skipper Liam Fox made a winning return to the side after seven months out injured last week – and the midfielder says the Lions are itching to take on in-form Morton at 
Almondvale tomorrow.

John Hughes’ men secured a 2-1 win at Hamilton last time out, with both Fox and Kyle Jacobs fit enough to make it into the starting line-up for the first time this season.

Now Livi face a third-place Morton side with five wins and a draw from their last six.

The Cappielow men are the only First Division side to take three points off leaders Partick Thistle, while they also came close to winning away to second-place Dunfermline last weekend.

Fox is well aware of the challenge the Lions face tomorrow.

He said: “Morton have a very experience squad with some very good players in it. I think if we manage to finish above them in the league table come the end of the season we’ll be doing very well.

“I think Morton will be there or thereabouts come May, they’ve been on a fantastic run with six games unbeaten and we’re under no illusions as to how difficult the game will be.

“But we’re looking forward to trying to make life very difficult for them and hopefully cause them a few problems ourselves.”

Fox is the latest in a series of players to return to action after missing part of the campaign through injury.

At one stage in September, Livi had nine players on the treatment table, and it is only in recent weeks that the Lions have managed to get more first-team stars back in action.

But Fox is in no mood to use that as any sort of excuse in terms of results. And he’s hoping the West Lothian side can build on recent form that has seen them collect seven points from nine on league duty.

He said: “I think there’s no doubt we’ve been pretty unlucky with injuries in the first quarter of the season.

“But that’s football. These things happen. You’re going to get injuries and suspensions and you need to deal with that.

“We’ve got the majority of the boys back now; with Jason [Talbot] still working on getting fit, and that’s good for us. It offers competition for places – which keeps people on their toes.”

n LIVINGSTON boss John Hughes has received an immediate two-match touchline ban for repeated use of offensive language on two occasions towards a match official during a SFL Reserve League Cup tie versus Airdrie United on October 2.