Matija Sarkic helped Livingston beat Celtic for the first time but does he have a future in the Premier League at Dean Smith’s Aston Villa?
It wasn’t a bad weekend for the Sarkic brothers.
One day after Oliver Sarkic lit up Burton Albion’s 3-0 win away at MK Dons with a long-range stunner, Matija enjoyed the epitome of a dream debut on his first ever Scottish Premiership outing between the sticks for Livingston.
A clean sheet and an assist; Sarkic certainly made the difference at both ends of the pitch as Livingston beat Celtic in a competitive fixture for the first time in their 76-year history.
The Grimsby-born Montenegrin was made to wait for a place in Gary Holt’s starting XI but it has taken just 90 minutes for the 22-year-old to establish himself as a fans’ favourite at the Tony Macaroni Arena. A series of fine stops were followed by an ingenius free-kick which caught the Celtic defence cold, Lyndon Dykes running onto a bouncing ball to put the finishing touches on a 2-0 win.
But its not just Livingston supporters who were impressed by Sarkic’s match-winning display.
He’s on loan from Aston Villa and, considering Dean Smith’s track record for giving youth a chance, don’t be surprised if Tom Heaton has a challenge on his hands for the number one shirt sooner rather than later. The Villa supporters certainly like what they see.
While twin brother Oliver is making a name for himself in the third tier, Matija’s long-term future might in the Premier League if he can prove that his role in Livingston’s historic giant killing is more than just a one off.
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