FOUR years ago, Scott Pittman’s footballing path was not paved with hope of the Premiership high life.
Playing for Bo’ness United having previously played under his father Steve at Broxburn Athletic, the junior man spent his days working on the roads. Who knew at that point the road would lead him and Livingston to within touching distance of the Scottish top flight?
“It’s only four years since I was playing Junior football,” said Pittman, who scored the winner in Livingston’s 2-1 win over Partick Thistle on Thursday night. “It feels quite surreal because I was playing there so long that you begin to think you are not going to get a move.
‘When I was in the Juniors I worked with my dad doing the roads.
“It’s not like I was there for months. I was there for three years without getting picked up. I was only 18 when I went to the Juniors and it definitely toughened me up.
“Then my time came and I got my move and it was great. I’ve been working hard and it’s been some journey from League One to now potentially at the brink of the Premiership. It’s been a crazy journey. I never dreamed of being in this position. But we will all give everything we can on Sunday to try and reach the Premiership.”
Fate works in mysterious ways, and quite often football has a habit of throwing in the odd twist. As it happens, Pittman’s father, a former US internationalist, played for the team his son is trying to relegate.
Over two seasons in the mid Nineties Pittman senior racked up over 70 games and gained cult hero status among the Firhill faithful while working under the legendary John Lambie.
So no doubt he had mixed feelings as his son slammed home the goal that potentially could see Thistle consigned to the Championship.
“He’s not been telling me much about his Thistle days. He just wished me all the best before the game,” said the Livingston man.
“I didn’t really watch the Thistle games when I was younger but I remember being at a few when I was maybe five or six.
“My mum told me before the match that my dad had said that it was written in the stars for me to score the winner.
“I actually didn’t think it would happen but it has. I’m not superstitious but when I heard he had said that I feared that he had jinxed me.
“I will need to ask him his prediction before the second leg and hopefully he tips me to score again.
“He’s been a big influence on me. He was my manager when I was playing junior football for three years. He’s helped me along the way and I’m so grateful.”
He added: “It was great to score the winner. The fans have come out in great numbers to support us and it was great to reward them with the win.
“I think we deserve it. We went a goal down but we stayed calm and Keaghan [Jacobs] scored a great goal to get us level at half time. And I thought we were the better team in the second half and we deserved the win.”
For all the revelry in the stands at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Thursday night, the mood within the dressing room was one of determination and focus. Fans are already beginning to dream about what might be if they shut out Thistle on Sunday in Glasgow, ensuring the club’s return to the Scottish top flight after a 12 year-absence.
Pittman explained the belief David Hopkin has instilled in this side over just one season since winning promotion to the Championship has them grateful for the position they now find themselves in. It’s an opportunity he hopes they are able to grasp if they can muster one last push on Sunday.
“It’s been a long hard season and there’s been a lot of hard work from the boys to get us into this position,” he said. “We just need to give it everything on Sunday and hopefully that’s good enough to take this club into the Premiership.
“We have put in the hard work and we have given ourselves an opportunity but it’s not done yet. It’s a massive game on Sunday but the boys will be ready for it.”
Speaking about Livingston originally targeting eighth at the start of the season, he added: “That was our aim but we started the season quite well and we kicked on. We’ve stayed in and about the play-offs all season. I think it would be a minor miracle if we got there. We’ve not got a big budget but we work hard for each other.”
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