Livingston’s in-form striker Iain Russell is out to set a new goalscoring record for himself because after scoring in his side’s last four games, he only needs to net in the next two to achieve it.
Russell has scored in every game he has played for Gary Bollan’s side since his summer move from Morton and he is looking to go one better against table topping Forfar Athletic on Saturday than the five game goalscoring run he had for Stirling Albion last season.
The twenty-seven-year-old said, “Scoring in my debut against Ross County certainly helped me settle down and things have just moved on from there. If I get a goal against Forfar on Saturday, I will equal my best ever run of scoring in consecutive games and that is a great start to my Livingston career. I will only worry about beating it if I have equalled it.”
The striker added, “I missed out on our game against Queen’s Park through injury at the start of the season and it has been great to score in every game since but the main thing for me is to be playing again.”
Russell grew up in Annan and played youth football in the area before being spotted by Rangers although when he made his SPL debut, it was not for the Glasgow club but for Motherwell. Russell’s stay at Fir Park was brief and after a handful of appearances, he moved on score goals for Dumbarton, Brechin City and Morton as well as finding the net last season whilst on loan at Alloa Athletic and Stirling Albion.
Livingston came calling during the summer and Russell moved to West Lothian and he has not taken long to win over the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium fans and he said, “The team have been playing well and scoring helps me and I have even added long range goals to my repertoire.”
Russell explained, “My goals are usually tap-ins but my debut League goal against Alloa was the furthest out I have ever scored from. I have watched it on sfl.tv and the boys are saying I meant it as a cross!
“I then scored the second goal for us at Dumbarton which was good as I was getting a wee bit of stick from their fans. Mind you, I think it made them louder but it was an important goal as we had been up 1-0 and then lost a goal and a man. I scored from close in to get us back in front.”
Back on home soil last weekend and it was four goals in four games when Russell scored the equaliser against Airdrie United.
He said, “They had started really well and then we had a good spell. It was back and forth in a good game with lots of chances.”
Russell is clearly enjoying life at Livi saying, “It has been great with the only downside for me being that I missed a bit of our pre-season through injury. I needed a fresh start in my career and to begin again somewhere new and different and I have that here. I got to know all the boys at the club during our pre-season trip to Belfast and we bonded over there.”
Joining the Third Division Champions presented a new challenge to the goalgrabber who said, “This is the first time I have joined a club where I did not know a single player beforehand. I was with the Manager briefly at Brechin but I have to say there is a great atmosphere here.
“There was a good dressing room at Morton when I first went there and that is the case here as well. Winning of course helps that.”
Russell was a winner last season as his goals helped push Stirling Albion over the finishing line to grab the Second Division Championship and he explained, “Winning the League with Stirling is a real highlight in my career. I played in ten games and scored seven times in the crucial final third of the season so I deserved the medal they gave me.”
Two of Russell’s goals came during a never to be forgotten night at Cowdenbeath’s Central Park when Albion, on the brink of the title, found themselves three goals down at half-time. They were about to hand the Championship chasing Blue Brazil a huge boost, before quite literally they landed their opponents a knockout blow.
Russell talked about that evening saying, “We could have won the League that night but found ourselves three down at half-time as we had taken our eye off the ball. At half-time, it was all about keeping the scoreline respectable but I scored early in the second half and we were flying again.
“I then scored late before big Andy Graham scored an injury time equaliser with a brave header that saw him unconscious after scoring as their goalkeeper clattered into him.”
Russell’s Morton contract was up however, with Stirling Albion boss Allan Moore moving to Cappielow, the smart money was on the striker staying a Greenock player.
Things never turned out that way with Russell saying, “I chatted things through with Allan Moore and I have to say that he had been great with me as had Allan Maitland when I was on loan at Alloa.
“My last one and a half years at Morton had been really up and down and I wanted a fresh start. I had not been enjoying things for a while in Greenock and I wanted to leave although Allan Moore being appointed made me think again.
“Allan offered me a one year deal and made everything sound very tempting but Livingston offered me a two year deal and that swung it even more.
“Livi are a good club with a good set-up and it is exciting times after just winning promotion. Mind you, we are expected to win every game and we have to handle that.”
Russell added, “There is not a great deal of experience in our team. We have guys like Tony Bullock and Robbie Winters and then it is me with the rest of the players virtually kids.
“It will be a long hard season and we will certainly not be handed points on a plate but a top four finish at least has to be the aim.”
Next up for Russell and his Livingston team-mates are Forfar and it is a side the Lions know well with Russell saying, “They were Livingston’s big rivals in the Third Division last season and the boys have said they were four really tough games against them.
“Both teams will be well up for it especially as we are both unbeaten and could go top of the League.”
Forfar boss, Dick Campbell, may have been in charge of Russell’s former Brechin club however, it was Michael O’Neill and not Campbell that took him to Glebe Park and the pair were close to being reunited last season.
Russell explained, “There was talk of Michael signing me again last year to play for Shamrock Rovers. I had kept in touch with him but the Morton Manager at the time would not release me.”
He joked, “I suppose that cost me a place against Juventus in UEFA Europa League Qualifying matches.”
As well as coping with the disappointment of missing out against the Italian giants, Russell understands that his goalscoring days will come to an end one day although he does seem better prepared for hanging his boots up than most.
In between his spells as a full-time footballer, Russell put his spare time to good use and he holds an unclassified degree in Quantity Surveying from his Dumbarton and Brechin days and when he calls it a day on his playing career, he may well return to pick up his Honours although the game has a pull on him.
The goalgrabber said, “I could always go back to get Honours after football finishes. However, I am loving it just now and becoming more and more tempted to stay in the game in some capacity when I finish playing.”
“I write articles for Inside Futbol and have been doing that for about six months now and do a feature piece for them about once a month. I really enjoy it and may turn my hand to that full-time however, I am going to concentrate on playing football just now and hopefully, setting that new record.”
An example of Russell’s writing work can be found at HERE.
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