Alloa Athletic vs Livingston preview - Quintet missing for Alloa

Posted Friday, August 09, 2013 by PA

Alloa start life after promotion against Livingston without five players as Jason Marr (back), Iain Flannigan (knee) and skipper Darren Young (calf) are all out through injury.

Eddie Ferns will miss out through work commitments and Willie Robertson is suspended to leave manager Paul Hartley promoting from the club's youth department to cover.

Hartley said: "We are short on numbers but high on spirit when you consider two years ago we were in the bottom league and now we are playing a well-established full-time club in the Championship.

"It is a tough start for us but our players will give it their all as they always have done."

Livingston head to Recreation Park with a youthful look to their squad as injuries again keep out Mike Mampuya (ankle), Burton O'Brien (toe), Stefan Scougall (hamstring) and Keaghan Jacobs (knee). Player/assistant manager Mark Burchill is a doubt with a calf problem.

Manager Richie Burke said: "Alloa may be the newly-promoted side, however they probably have more experience in their ranks than we have and that makes this a very tricky opening game.

"But we had a young side out at Elgin last weekend and they battled well for a win. We will need that same approach again from them as Alloa are a well organised outfit."