Gary Bollan ready to shuffle defensive pack with first-choice duo out

Aug 19 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

Gary Bollan ready to shuffle defensive pack with first-choice duo out

GARY BOLLAN will have to shuffle his defensive pack this week, with first-choice partnership Cammy MacDonald and Michael O’Byrne (below) unavailable due to injury and suspension respectively.

And the Livingston boss is hoping he can find a pair of aces in their absence when Airdrie visit the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium on Saturday.

Livi finished Saturday‘s win over Dumbarton with versatile midfielder Kyle Jacobs filling in at right-back and with regular right-back Craig Barr in the centre last Saturday alongside the established Paul Watson after O’Byrne was sent off.

Bollan reckons both Jacobs and Barr are more than capable of playing there again but he has also stressed he has other options within the squad to step into the side.

Devon Jacobs impressed at the tail-end of last season at full-back, while Neil Hastings has also made a handful of appearances at centre-half.

He said: “We have a Plan A and a Plan B at the moment in our heads and come Saturday, we’ll decide what to do. Kyle is a versatile player and to be fair to him he’s happy to play anywhere.

“I’ve no qualms about putting him in and I know he’ll give us 100 per cent.

“We now have two home games in a row and they will be very important, so we’ll be going all out to win them

“It will be difficult, with Airdrie coming down from the First Division last season, but we know all about Forfar after coming up with them last season.”

Bollan was pleased with how his side came back from the blow of losing a man to take three points last weekend.

He said: “It was a tough game against Dumbarton and I think at times we never really started to play.

“I think we looked more dangerous and maybe even created more chances after we went down to 10 men.

“We got some urgency and the boys realised they had to concentrate more.

“When we do that, we are a good team.”