Livingston midfielder Scott Robinson says the loss of former Hearts team-mate and captain Marius Zaliukas has been a huge shock to the Scottish game, writes Abbie Meehan.
He hailed the defender for his character in the dressing room, and the qualities he hopes to emulate as a senior member of Livingston’s squad.
He said: “He was exactly what us young guys needed. Coming through the ranks, you need someone to chat to you, keep you on the right track and make you feel welcome as well.
“Breaking into the first team, you’re really nervous to begin with, and I honestly can’t thank him enough for what he did for me.”
He added: “He took time out to chat with the younger players and I think that any sort of experienced player who does this is a really valuable member of the squad.
“I would hopefully look to do that myself now I’m one of the more experienced players here. If I could pass on any advice or experience down to the younger guys here, I would look to do it.”
The Lithuanian's passing came as a shock when it emerged on Saturday, during Hearts' 2-1 win over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Robinson hopes to push forward with the Livingston squad, and get the important win tonight against Ross County coming off a sub-par performance in last week's loss to Motherwell.
He said: “Every game is massive, but especially as Ross County is one of our closest rivals at the minute and it would be a massive boost to get the three points.
“Saturday wasn’t what we were expecting, we haven’t been that flat in a while. We’ve discussed it as a team and we’re looking to rectify that and put in a different game plan on Friday, and then get back to what we think is more like us.”
The midfielder also discussed the impact of having some fans back in the ground, stating it would be a huge boost for both clubs.
He said: “Fans back would be good but it would be strange. Any sort of atmosphere would help, and not having them there has been a massive miss for all clubs, but everyone’s health is more important at the minute.”
Livingston currently sit 10th in the league, level on points with St Johnstone, but a win at Dingwall would see them shoot into eighth place.
