Nicky Devlin admits he couldn't be happier to have signed a new deal and been appointed Livingston captain - even if a robust challenge from a trialist meant both were delayed slightly.
The 27-year-old was officially announced as the Lions new skipper last week, while also extending his stay in West Lothian until the summer of 2023. It was the perfect way to finally kickstart his season after suffering a punctured lung after a collision with a trialist on just the second day of pre-season and then catching covid upon his return.
And the full-back says he feels more comfortable being a leader now than he did when handed the captain's armband as a 21-year-old at Ayr United.
He said: "When the gaffer first asked me, it was a big honour, I was delighted.
“To captain any club is massive, never mind a club that’s in the Premiership and is doing very well. I was captain at Ayr when I was a lot younger but it’s a bit different now being that wee bit older. You do feel a bit more responsibility.
“At Ayr I probably didn’t realise the responsibility that’s on you as club captain. But here I do, I’m a bit more mature.
“I was only 21 at the time, at that stage you’re still probably just focused on yourself but now I probably see the bigger picture and there is stuff to deal with every single day. It’s just about being there for the players.
"I've got a good relationship with all the players and that’s hopefully what I’m going to use to my advantage as best I can. There’s boys in the squad who have been there for a while, the likes of Scott Pittman, Keaghan Jacobs, so I can always call on them.
“I’ve got boys that’ll mean it won’t always be left to me to be the captain, almost. There’s others who could easily do it."
He added: "I think the gaffer would rather have announced the captaincy earlier but I wasn’t in the club.
“When I was injured, I wasn’t in as I couldn’t train when I broke my ribs and punctured my lung.
“It was a tackle in training from a trialist that caused it. I blocked a shot and he kept running and he smacked into me but it wasn’t his fault.
“The worst part was he got to go on the trip to Marbella but because of the lung I wasn’t allowed to fly so I missed it, then I tested positive for covid so that was another 10 days away.
“It was a nightmare but it happens. I’m playing catch up in terms of fitness.”
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