Livingston boss David Martindale heaped praise on his Lions after coming through an eight-day spell with three huge victories that could shape their season.
Following last week’s sensational win over Falkirk to stay in title contention in the Championship, Martindale’s men dumped Dunfermline out of the SPFL Trust Trophy to reach next month’s final against Queen’s Park.
And on Saturday they completed the hat-trick with a 3-0 win over Cove Rangers courtesy of a Ryan McGowan goal and a late Tete Yengi double – to reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, where they now host Premiership side St Johnstone. After such a gruelling schedule, Martindale was impressed by his side’s energy levels as they continue to battle on three fronts.
He said: “Being through to the next round is the most important thing. I was a wee bit worried about going into the game, being a wee bit passive, a wee bit lethargic, but that was the one constant that wasn’t there.
“I thought the boys’ intensity levels were quite high, coming off the back of a tough eight days, big games, and last Wednesday night on a really heavy park.
“They applied themselves well. Cove made it difficult for us, they had a go, but I thought we were our own enemies at times, in terms of being a wee bit slack in possession.
“But I don’t think you can take anything away from the players. They’ve had three absolutely huge games in eight days and they’ve turned up in every one of them, scoring seven goals and one against.
“We’re in a cup final, we’ve caught up with the pace a wee bit at the top of the table in the league and now we are into a quarter-final of the Scottish Cup.
“The players need to take a lot of credit for that. The subs made a big impact and Tete has come in and made a big contribution.”
Martindale marked a big milestone in his Lions career as he racked up his 200th game in charge.
But he was keen to play it down. He added: “I’m proud to be the Livingston manager and I suppose I should be proud of that stat, but I don’t really look into these things. It’s a personal achievement and that’s not really me, I’m more about the collective.
“These things don’t bother me. It’s not really something I think about.”
The Lions are quickly reunited with Dunfermline, as they welcome them to Almondvale on Saturday for a league clash.
Martindale said: “The schedule has been all over the place. It has been a bit chaotic with Friday night games, midweeks etcetera.
“But I’m really pleased with the energy levels of the players.”
• Meanwhile, the SPFL has announced that the Trust Trophy Final against Queen’s Park will be played at Falkirk Stadium on Sunday, March 30. Kick-off is 4.10pm, with the game shown live on BBC Alba.