Jeremy Bokila made an immediate impact in the 31 minutes he was on the pitch for Livingston in their 3-1 victory over Falkirk, producing a sensational finish to finally kill off the challenge of the Central Scotland team.
David Martindale, Livingston’s manager, said the goal after 88 minutes by the 36-year-old was a special finish from a player the club secured after watching him in action in their pre-season training camp in Holland.
The Livi boss said: “The big man has come in, he has played top tier (football) in The Netherlands last year and one of his main attributes is that he is quite physical.
“I felt he got a wee bit of a shock as I felt Falkirk’s back three were really physical, but his finish was incredible, it was a great finish.”
Martindale said he received a tip off about the player from a contact with a deep knowledge of European football and he “had a wee look”. The manager was not sure, but the opportunity came to see Bokila in the flesh at the club’s training camp in Holland pre-season.
He added: “It shows how humble he is that he came in. He got a wee look at me and I got a wee look at him and he played 60 minutes (in a bounce game) and I felt he could do a job for us.
“He is different from Robbie Muirhead, he is different from Zak Rudden but I feel you need that variation and that squad depth if you are to be successful in the Premiership.”
Danny Wilson, Graham Carey and Adam Montgomery were injured against Falkirk and medical reports are awaited but because of the physicality of the Premiership, Martindale believes he will have to run with a squad depth of 25 not 23 as he has historically.
Looking back at the welcome William Hill Premiership win, he said, his squad controlled aspects of the game, their press was good but, when the ball came into the final third, he felt his defence was “brilliant”.
He also felt The Lions also looked dangerous on the counter-attack, and he added: “The players should take a lot of credit.”
