BY ALAN TEMPLE – Capital City Press
Livingston full-back Ross Millen used to cheer on St Mirren from the stands when his dad, Andy, plied his trade in the black-and-white of the Buddies.
However, he is on a mission to ensure the punters from Paisley don’t go home happy this afternoon.
Fans’ favourite Andy Millen made 135 appearances for St Mirren, winning the Challenge Cup and Scottish First Division titles, before working as assistant manager to Gus McPherson.
It ensured that, even as he made his own way in the professional game, young Ross had a soft spot for the Buddies – however, it will not dampen his determination to claim a pivotal three points today.
The 21-year-old told Capital City Press: “I used to go along and watch my dad play for St Mirren all the time, I loved it.
“Those were great days and, thankfully, he was quite popular so I didn’t need to listen to him take too much stick!
“It’s amazing how quickly things change and time moves on he’s the one watching me these days.
“It’s a club I’ll always have fond memories of from going to watch my old man, but when you are battling for points and desperate to get up the table, there’s not much room for sentiment.”
Livi’s encounter against St Mirren kicks-off a massive three days for the West Lothian outfit, with a trip to Ibrox on Tuesday evening to follow as they defend their Petrofac Training Cup crown against Rangers.
Millen continued: “It’s a big spell for, but it’s important we can’t become distracted by the prospect of Rangers. We need to deal with St Mirren and, if we can get a win there and start climbing up the league, then that will give us a boost.”
Livingston are currently at the foot of the Championship, one point adrift of Alloa and three points behind St Mirren. Millen knows drawing level on seven points with the Buddies is a massive incentive.
He added: “It’s a home game and we are looking to take advantage of that and get back to winning ways.
“Before losing to Dumbarton in our last match, we had a 4-0 win over Alloa – and we can play even better than that. We need to show that on the pitch and, if we do that, hopefully it will be enough to get the win.”
