Livingston boss David Martindale admits he's relishing Saturday's trip to his 'second home' Tynecastle.
The Lions take on Hearts aiming to bounce back from Wednesday night's League Cup exit at the hands of Rangers with the gaffer full of praise for their hosts.
He said: "I love going there, I go there as much as I can with my wife and my daughter.
“Before Covid hit that was probably a second home for me, I got to a lot of games and I liked going to watch Craig Halkett, who had just signed that year. It’s 15 minutes from my house, it’s a good family club and the boardroom do it very well.
“You get scout tickets and you can go up and get something to eat and a cup of tea. We sometimes go there for Sunday dinner as they have their restaurant.
“It’s a club I enjoy visiting on and off the park. It’s a very well run club and I think it’s one of the best stadiums in Scotland for playing football, outwith the Old Firm.”
Livingston welcome Ben Williamson back into the squad after he was ineligible to face his parent side, but Martindale admits he's having to nurse a few players through injuries.
He said: "I had a couple of bench-fillers on Wednesday who weren't really available in Jackson Longridge and Scott Pittman. It was a case of the less minutes in their legs the better.
"Ben comes in and gives us a wee bit more energy in the middle of the park having not played since Sunday. There's a few that will need to be re-evaluated on Friday.
"Adam Lewis came off on Wednesday. He was miffed at coming off but he rolled his ankle in the warm-up. I didn't see it but Marvin Bartley and Dougie Imrie told me and he was limping from about 30 minutes in.
"He thought he was OK to carry on but Marv and Dougie both said he rolled his ankle in the warm-up so I made a decision to take him off. He probably could have stayed on the park but would he have been playing at 100 per cent? I don't believe so. I don't think you can go to places like Ibrox and have players who have a knock, especially when it was visible to the eye. When he's limping there's pain and it affects your game.
"I think he was disappointed to come off but we did it for the greater good for Adam and the club to be honest."
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here' https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/
