Livingston midfielder Lee Makel revealed how winning the CIS Insurance Cup final helped ease the pain of the worst weekend of his life.
Makel was on the verge of pulling out of the tie against Hibernian at Hampden Park following a turbulent 48 hours that saw him run down a homeless person before being given the news that his fiancée’s father had died suddenly the night before the game.
His nightmare began on Friday night when a man jumped in front of his car. He ended up with a broken leg but Makel, his fiancée Claire and his six-month-old daughter Ellie, who was in the passenger seat, escaped injury.
But worse news was to come when Makel was forced to leave the team hotel on Saturday night after being given the news that his fiancée’s father had passed away suddenly and that left a huge question mark over whether he would take part in yesterday’s cup final.
The Livi midfielder eventually took the decision to play in the game – which the Almondvale side won 2-0 – despite almost no sleep over the previous two days.
He said: “I got a phone call at nine o’clock telling me my fiancée’s father had passed away and I didn’t have much sleep, so it was touch and go whether I was going to play.”