THE prospect of taking the scalp of another senior team is incentive enough for Motherwell Colts as they face up to Ross County in the Irn-Bru Cup quarter-finals today, but every player in their team is also fired up to prove they can be the next David Turnbull.

The young midfielder is the latest breakout star from the Fir Park youth ranks, and left-back Adam Livingstone reckons there is a host of players bubbling under the surface at the club ready to make their own big breakthrough.

And the 20-year-old is hoping that he can follow his friend into Stephen Robinson’s thoughts by helping to shock County this afternoon, just as they did with League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers in the last round.

“It is good to see your pals breaking into the team and it gives you hope you can too,” Livingstone said.

“I have been involved in squads, so I have to bide my time, but you get the belief that you can emulate what David is doing.

“I have played with him for years and he was ready for the first team. It makes you feel you can make the step up as well when the time comes. David has been brilliant in every game he has played and it shows the manager that we could make the step up too because we all played well against Sligo.”

Like Turnbull, Livingstone is a lifelong Moitherwell supporter, and he is pinching himself that heroes such as reserve team manager Stephen Craigan and fellow left-back Stevie Hammell are now guiding his own career with the Steelmen.

“This is a dream for me,” he said. “I made my debut before, but I want to get in and become a regular. I don’t want to be a guy who only played one game and then disappeared again.

“I loved James McFadden and Steven Hammell when I was growing up – I used to like John Spencer when I was really young.

“Hammy has been brilliant, even when he was still playing here he would help me through things. He would talk me through situations and even now I still speak to him when I can and pick his brains.

“He has a lot of time for all the young boys. I would love to emulate him and have the same sort of impact he had on the club.”

Manager Craigan has challenged the likes of Livingstone to go out today and grasp that opportunity to impress first-team boss Robinson by standing up the challenge of the Highlanders, with the Motherwell boss always eager to promote from within.

“This time last year, Allan Campbell played for the reserves in Belfast and he’s never played for us since because he got into the first-team and stayed there,” Craigan said.

“We spoke before the Sligo game and the manager said David [Turnbull] is the same, he goes into the first-team, does well, and doesn’t go back. It’s only been three or four weeks, but he hasn’t been back since, and I hope he never plays for my team again.

“They have to look at David and think ‘I’m just as good as him’, and the game against Ross County is the time to go and show it.”