There’s being thrown into the deep end and then there’s this.
Cristian Montano had just been sent off and Aberdeen were banging on the door at the Tony Macaroni Arena. And, in a desperate attempt to preserve three-hard fought points, Livingston boss David Martindale turned to his bench and summoned a 20-year-old with just three first-team league appearances under his belt.
If Martindale was concerned that Boyes’ lack of experience could cost Livi dear, he needn’t have worried. The manager rolled the dice and hit the jackpot.
“Fair play to all my players,” Martindale beamed at full-time, his heart-rate returning to normal following the most nail-biting of finales.
“I thought they were brilliant.
“They were all in the changing room after the final whistle enjoying themselves. The music was on full blast and they thoroughly deserved it.”
Does Morgan Boyes have a future at Liverpool?
In just six minutes on the pitch, Boyes won two of his aerial duels, completed three clearances and even found the time to produce a match-winning block at the death (WhoScored).
“We defended our final defensive third extremely well when we were down to 10 men,” Martindale adds, via the North Wales Chronicle.
“I put big Morgan Boyes in at centre-half and probably played a 5-4-0 at the end. Morgan got one of the goal-line clearances and headed a couple away.”
Whether that heroic cameo performance is enough to earn Boyes a starting spot in Livingston’s next game – an away trip to Ross County on Wednesday night – remains to be seen.
The Wales U21 international is contracted to the West Lothian outfit for the next 18 months. Martindale will be reluctant to expect too much too soon. And it’s not as if time isn’t on Boyes’ side either.
But if those six frantic minutes against Aberdeen proved anything, it’s that Boyes can be relied upon to stand strong when Livingston need him the most.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
