Sunderland defeat Livingston in friendly

Livingston boss David Hopkin was thrilled with his players' efforts despite going down to English Premier League side Sunderland 3-0 at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

Fabio Borini scored twice

With the Lions inactive in the Championship this weekend due to Hibs’ involvement in tomorrow’s League Cup final, Hopkin took his players to Wearside where they were put through their paces by Sam Allardyce’s men.

A first-half double from Fabio Borini had the home side 2-0 ahead at the break before a Sebastian Larsson penalty wrapped things up in the second half.

“It was a terrific experience for the boys,” Hopkin said. “They pretty much had their whole first team playing. It was a good workout, the players worked hard and they really enjoyed it.

“We stayed at a nice hotel on Thursday night in Durham so we prepared well. To see the difference in the size of changing rooms, the surroundings and the pitch, it was a real eye opener. We played well but you’ve got to remember we were playing against an English Premier League side. It was probably the hardest the boys have had to work all season.”

Livingston’s next match is at home to St Mirren next Saturday.