Livingston manager Gary Bollan wouldn’t welcome an SFL winter break

Dec 31 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

GARY BOLLAN insists Scottish football doesn’t need a winter break despite seeing his side’s last two league games called off with a third in serious doubt this weekend, writes Eric Mackinnon.

The Livingston manager has seen Third Division matches with Annan Athletic and East Stirlingshire snowed off with the wintry weather while the continued freeze is leaving Saturday’s trip to Berwick hanging in the balance.

But Bollan reckons Scotland is in the grip of an unusually harsh winter and he wouldn’t back a seasonal shutdown of the game.

He said: “We are suffering from a freak winter just now so I wouldn’t say I’m in favour of a winter break for Scottish football.

“I know some managers are all for it but I feel as long as teams and supporters are given plenty notice of postponements then it is OK.

“We will have a bit of a fixture jam in the New Year but teams in England play midweek games all the time and it’s just something we have to get on with.”

With his side out of competitive action for the past few weeks and the players unable to train in their usual way Bollan has revealed he has introduced some new methods and locations into the Livi training regime.

He added: “We are desperate to get back to playing football and we’ve been keeping the guys ticking over the best we can.

“We’ve been training indoor, visiting the gym while we even had a trip to the beach at Aberdour and a spinning class in Hamilton as well to give the boys something different and mix it up a bit.

“If the game against Berwick is on then we are ready and we have a full squad of players to choose from with the exception of Jonny Brown who is suspended.

“David Winters will be a loss but he turned down the chance to stay and we wish him the best of luck wherever he goes. But we have plenty options up front with Robbie Winters, Rafa De Vita and Marc McNulty, and Andy Halliday can also play there.”