Livingston head of football operations, David Martindale: "In all honesty, it's not quite worked out in terms of the on-field ball work and intense training schedule we had put in place"
Tuesday 15 September 2020 14:05, UK
Livingston have parted company with striker Anthony Stokes by mutual consent, just three weeks after he signed for the Scottish Premiership club.
The former Hibernian and Celtic player initially signed a contract until the end of the season but never played for Livi, with a failure to cope with training on the artificial surface cited as a key factor in the decision.
Stokes left Hibs at the end of his third period at Easter Road in 2018, before short spells with clubs in Greece, Turkey and Iran prior to signing for Livingston.
The 32-year-old Republic of Ireland international joined the club shortly after Lyndon Dykes left to join QPR.
"Stokesy has been in training for approximately four weeks now and it's fair to say that we both knew that there was going to be a lot of work to be done to get Anthony into top shape to play Premiership football," said their head of football operations, David Martindale.
"In all honesty, it's not quite worked out in terms of the on-field ball work and intense training schedule we had put in place. He is struggling to adapt to training two-to-three hours per day on the Astro Turf surface - we all know it doesn't and won't suit everyone.
"Of course, Anthony knew the surface we had in place but each player adapts to that differently and you can't know how your body will feel adapting to it until you've been out there and played or trained on it frequently. We know it isn't for everyone and sadly, that's been the case for Anthony.
"Whilst trying to get the player in shape, it's been extremely frustrating for all of us, staff and player alike, that we can't seem to get the intense training needed into the player.
"To be fair to Anthony, he has noticed this himself and he approached us with the option to terminate. This allows both the player and the club to explore other opportunities.
"It's a real shame that the Livingston FC fans didn't get to see Anthony wear the number 9 shirt for Livingston on the field. In the short spells we did get a chance to work with him, you could certainly see the quality he possesses."
