Livingston

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Livingston manager David Martindale has set himself a target of taking the club to another national final at Hampden and potentially earning a European place with the West Lothian club.

Martindale signed a new contract with Livingston last week, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2027.

The 51-year-old joined Livi in 2014 initially as a volunteer but worked his way up the ladder eventually becoming manager in 2020.

"I would love to take the club to a cup final," he said. "We won a cup (Challenge Cup) last year with fans.

"We got to a cup final in previous years at Hampden with no fans. So, one of the main ambitions is I would like to take the club back to Hampden.

"Whether that's a semi-final, whether that's a final, it's a big ambition for me."

However, Martindale is wary of aiming too high too soon, and says they must first consolidate their top-flight status.

"I'd love to have a shot at European football with Livingston," he said. "But to do that, you need to consolidate in the league and you need to get a top-six finish.

"But we've shown as a club, shown as a group, staff, myself included, that we're more than capable of getting top six.

"We're more than capable of getting the cup finals. But I think the short-term aspirations this season is consolidating the league.

"But longer-term objective is always going to be taking the club back to Hampden with fans behind us. And then hopefully trying to achieve European football at some stage."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Livingston manager David Martindale has been talking to the media before his side's Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Here are the best bits from his news conference:

• Has ambition of taking club back to Hampden and qualifying for Europe, but says the primary objective this season has to be staying in the top flight.

• Players and staff have shown a top six place in the future is achievable and Martindale "would have bit your hand off" for four points from their opening two league matches.

• Martindale says it would be no surprise if Tony Bloom achieves his goal of challenging the Old Firm with Hearts - "I do think it's something that could happen in the coming years".

• Celtic have shown they are "best team in the country" and Martindale fully expects them to beat Kairat Almaty on aggregate to make the Champions League proper.

• He stressed the need to add to his Livingston squad before the end of the window with a right-back the priority.

Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

There are still a few days of the transfer window to go, but I think Livingston have made their signing of the season with the manager committing to another couple of years at the helm.

Since coming joining as a volunteer in 2014, Davie Martindale's quickly rose through the ranks at Livi to become our longest-serving manager.

There hasn't been a single dull moment of each of 1,726-plus days and 225 games he's been in charge.

What I like about this is it brings stability. With all the shenanigans we've had off the park over the years this is music to my ears.

He's arguably our best ever manager. In my book he's our most successful.

His passion for the club is second to none. It's clear he works long hours and I'd wager his family would say there have been a few grim weekends when we've been beaten too.

He's put his all into the club and really deserves this contract. He's rightly given credit for his tactical nous and ability to get players to give their all for the team too.

He's put structure and processes in place that would be unimaginable just a few years ago. We have forward-thinking things sport scientists, cryochambers for recovery and video technology for training.

It's clear he's thinking years ahead for the club, which is a positive.

One day we won't have Davie Martindale as our manager, he is overdue an opportunity at a so-called 'big club'.

But I'm pleased he's committed to Livingston for another few years. You can guarantee there won't be a single dull day for us Livi fans until he does go.

We asked for your views on Livingston's 2-0 defeat against Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Del: Needed to create more of a threat. That new midfielder appears necessary.

Kyle: To be fair we were outplayed at almost everything but the second goal was something else.

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Record signing Thibault Klidje marked his first start with a crucial goal as Hibernian defeated Livingston to secure a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Rangers at Ibrox.

Read the match report here

Have your say on the game

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Livingston manager David Martindale: "I think Hibs deserved to be in the next round, I don't think there was a lot in the game.

"I don't think either goalkeeper really had a lot to do and up until the second goal I thought we might have been the team to go and get the next goal.

"This is the first game where we've played a top six team, most of the Premiership we played last year were bottom half. This was the first real test for the players playing against a higher level of opposition.

"I don't think there was a lot in the game but I think Hibs deserve to be through."

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Livingston manager David Martindale's League Cup mindset has shifted since the arrival of new owner Calvin Ford.

The great great grandson of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford acquired all of John McIlvogue's shares in Baycup Ltd, who had held a controlling interest in Livi for around two years, earlier this year.

Manager Martindale extended his Livi contract until 2027 earlier this week, and says he is now hoping for favourable draws, not financially lucrative ones.

Livingston host Hibs in the second round on Sunday and Martindale said: "A cup run always brings that financial element to the tie, but again my mindset has changed slightly here as well.

"Because historically I'd be sitting here going, 'I hope we get Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs, and if we can't get that I hope we've got a home tie.'

"I'm not sitting watching draws with that kind of mindset now. I'm sitting watching draws saying, 'I wonder who we could get that would be the best opportunity to progress to the next round?'

"Historically, you were probably looking at going, 'What's the best financial outcome for the football club?'

"So I'm looking at my viewpoint now slightly changed, and that comes from Calvin coming in."

We asked for your thoughts after Livingston manager David Martindale extended his contract with the West Lothian club until the summer of 2027.

Here's what you had to say:

Iggis: Great to see him sign on especially after him saying he was thinking about leaving before Calvin Ford came in.

Alistair: Davie is a down-to-earth guy with a talent for bringing in the right people and being successful. I don't think we will win the league but top six is achievable and we will upset a few teams along the way. We've done it before and with Davie at the helm, long may it continue.

Derek: Davie has done a brilliant job at Livingston and it's only right that he gets rewarded. He knows the club inside out and knows what's needed to get results.

Fraser: Wasn't sure about him when we got relegated but our performances last season, the improvements to our squad and our ability to consistently turn matches around after half-time all point to Martindale being a good solid manager. Morale in the squad is high and Martindale deserves a lot of praise for that.

Del: Livi man through and through. Great manager who hopefully now has the right support to show his capabilities. Very good to see him tied down.

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David Martindale is eager to take Livingston to "new heights" after extending his contract to summer 2027.

Martindale has been in charge of the club for five years, having joined as a volunteer in 2014, and is the longest-serving manager in the Premiership.

"I knew when Calvin [Ford] and the board made it known that they would like me to remain at Livingston, there was only going to be one outcome," Martindale said.

"I feel a genuine honour and privilege to be the manager of Livingston and my desire to do everything I can for this club has only got stronger as the months have passed.

"I would like to thanks the chairman and the current board for placing their trust in me and my team. I can confidently say we will do everything in our power to try and take Livingston to new heights."

Livi fans, what is your reaction to Martindale's new deal? Is it a sign the club are heading in the right direction under new owner Calvin Ford?

Let us know your thoughts

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David Martindale admits he was considering quitting the Livingston manager's job before being "rejuvenated" by Calvin Ford's takeover.

The Livingston boss says a "massive weight" was lifted when American Ford took majority control in May, shortly before the club clinched promotion back to the Premiership.

Martindale has been at Livi for more than a decade, becoming manager in 2020, and has dealt several off-field issues involving previous owners and finances.

"I'll be honest, when we were sitting on Zoom calls, I can't remember the exact dates, February, March, whatever it was, my head was, 'I need to try and take the club back to the Premiership and maybe look elsewhere for my career,'" he said.

"Calvin just came in and kind of rejuvenated me and the staff. It just gave everyone in the football club a massive lift because the previous years were difficult.

"Taking the club back to the Premiership with the old regime, it wouldn't have been ideal. It would have just been pushing water up a hill again.

"Then Calvin's come in, there's just been a real fresh impetus. Everybody, staff, upstairs and downstairs. That comes from his enthusiasm, his passion, his desire. Don't get me wrong, it never took a lot to light our fires again.

"The timing was impeccable in terms of Calvin came in before we got back to the Premiership. His words to me, I remember sitting in the hotel room in Ross County and the text message came through, 'Davie, don't think we have to take the club back to the Premiership. It would be great. But I'm here for the good and the bad times and I'll be here if you're in the Championship,' and maybe that helped me make better decisions in the dugout.

"It's just been a breath of fresh air. Once we knew that Calvin was fully on board and it was going to get done, I had a better night's sleep than I had for the last two or three years, to be honest. Because you've now got an upstairs looking after the upstairs.

"That's how I feel coming into my work every day. Winning games of football, but not dealing with the historical problems probably the last two or three years have presented, and be the first-team manager of Livingston Football Club, this is the first time proper I've had that opportunity. I'm now fully focused on the football side where historically I wasn't. It was impossible."

Daldeep Kaur
BBC Sport Scotland

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David Martindale has been speaking to the media before Livingston host Hibs in the second round of the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Martindale praised new owner Calvin Ford's "impeccable timing" and says his "enthusiasm, passion and desire" brings a "breath of fresh air" for everyone at the club.

• Martindale says he was considering leaving before Ford completed his takeover in May.

• The Livi boss adds: "It never took a lot to light our fires again. Calvin coming in the building rejuvenated all of us, and I think we needed that. It just sparked something inside me. It was a massive weight around my neck that had been lifted."

• Martindale is "actively looking" to sign a midfielder as Reece McAlear joined St Johnstone and new signing Aidan Denholm suffered an injury, but he's looking for a "player that's going to come in and make us better".

• On Hibs: "This is the most consistent they have been since we've come up against them in the Premiership. David's [Gray] a really, really good fit for Hibs."

• He says there's a "real inner belief" that Livi can cause Hibs problems but are under no illusions of how tough the task will be.

• On Tony Bloom's comments on Hearts challenging Celtic and Rangers: "I love that enthusiasm. It would be a foolish man that bets against Bloom. It might come back to bite me, but I think it's refreshing."

• Martindale believes Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United have the "financial muscle" to be challenging at the top of the table.

• Livi need to take advantage of their free week, as Gray's side have their second leg of their Conference League third qualifying round on Thursday, but Martindale would "rather be in Hibs' shoes."

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Livingston have entered into a cooperation agreement with League 1 East Fife.

As part of the agreement, 19-year-old Livingston attacker Sam Culbert will join Dick Campbell's side.

The player partnership comes under a new Scottish FA initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for young Scottish talent.

Players aged 16–21, who are eligible for Scotland, can gain competitive experience at lower-league level while remaining available to their parent team throughout the season. Clubs can form multiple partnerships across the pyramid, but only one per tier.

Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

When the Premiership fixtures came out, it wasn't games against the Old Firm or our Lothian neighbours I searched for. It was the meetings with Falkirk I was most anticipating.

Unfairly they are lauded as torchbearers of the beautiful game against our team of giant, hammer-throwing farmers (familiar and wholly incorrect assertions).

Last season we were fierce promotion rivals and the Championship wasn't decided until the very last game. We both made it to the big league and as the luck of the draw would have it our first home match was against our rivals from Grangemouth.

It's fair to say there has been some 'banter' between both sets of supporters even beyond last season. "You have no fans" is a familiar chant from Falkirk fans, and most others to be fair, and "We have more stands than you" is often the reply.

Perhaps this rivalry has amplified with Livi taking 10 points from 12 against the Bairns last season. We may well have won the league if that draw was converted to a win.

Last Saturday Falkirk turned up in impressive numbers again to the Home of the Set Fare Arena. Once again, they watched their team walk away with no points.

To be fair they were good for spells but we scored another worldy against them and were deserved winners. Different division, same outcome. The three points were even more special against a team and fans that were clearly fizzing.

Man of the match may have been the impressive, evergreen Scott Pitman, but special credit has to go to our media team for their brilliant posts with Livi players on the cover of seminal Oasis album Definitely Maybe (below). Their responses after were brilliant too.

Poking a little bit of fun at your rivals makes a victory all the sweeter. Get Saturday, 8 November in the diary for our trip to Grangemouth. Some might say it will definitely maybe be dynamite.

Image source, Livingston FC

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Samson Lawal: Played out of position and dealt with it magnificently as Livingston took all 3 points against Falkirk.

Lewis Smith: "A brilliant strike" was how Sportscene commentator Jock Brown described it. A curled effort into the top corner, it was a stunning moment of quality from the former Hamilton Academical player. Looks like he is ready to take the Premiership by storm.

Highlights of Livingston 3-1 Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Livingston's 3-1 win over Falkirk.

Here's what some of you said:

Gillian: Really good worked goals for Livi.

Ollie: What a goal from Lewis Smith and some good defending.

Thomas: A solid win, I hope Livi and David Martindale start to receive praise and recognition for their football style.

Del: Great start for Livi. Focus and effort are needed to make it count.

Craig: A hard-fought but well-earned three points. Macaulay Tait was outstanding and Samson Lawal at right back was a surprise selection but came on in the game. Jeremy Bokila looks as though he will be a useful addition.

Matt: We couldn't have really asked for a better start to the return to the Premiership. Martindale has so far been good to his word that he's abandoned the long ball game of old and kept trying to play possession-based, passing football. It makes for a much more enjoyable Saturday afternoon, if nothing else! The squad looks balanced, technically sound and more than capable of doing well this season. Falkirk were a distant second across the park, and we were very good value for the win. Long may this continue.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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David Martindale wants Livingston "not to just survive" but to "thrive" in the Premiership, according to winger Lewis Smith.

The former Hamilton Accies man scored the second goal in the 3-1 win over Falkirk in yesterday's battle between the two promoted sides, putting Livi - probably briefly - on top of the table.

"For the club, [the aim] is just to finish as high as possible," Smith said. "The gaffer's trying to instil in the mindset not to just survive, to try and thrive in the league.

"We're trying to play good football and I think you've seen that so far in the first two games.

"We've scored a good few goals too, and personally I just want to try and help the team as best I can, score goals and chip in with assists too."

Smith joined Livingston at the start of last season and was a key part of their late push for the Championship title, with Falkirk finally getting over the line on the final weekend.

He took his goal against the Bairns well, curling in an absolute beauty from the edge of the box.

"It was a really good team move, and then the ball came to me on edge of the box and I just cut inside," he said. "It opened up well for me and yeah, thankfully it went in.

"In the first half, especially right at the start of the game, we were weathering a bit of a storm, but we scored the goals at a crucial time, just before half-time. It gave us a real boost going into the second half."

A lot has been made of Livingston's plastic pitch, but the club has upgraded the surface over the summer and Smith sang its praises.

"The new pitch is great," he added. "People have a go at astro pitches, but ours and Falkirk's is top-notch now and it's really good.

"You can tell in the games that have been played this season so far, the ball moves really quickly and I like it because it's easier to run and to pass the ball, so it's good."

Livingston manager David Martindale tells BBC Scotland: "I thought it was a really good professional performance. There was a lot of different aspects to it.

"We had to try and play at times, but the first half there was a swirling wind and it was really difficult to get out our own half. So Falkirk kind of had the majority of the play but we came up with two brilliant goals.

"I thought the first one was a great team goal and the second one was still a good bit of team play there, but it's a great finish from [Lewis Smith].

"When we missed the penalty, I think Falkirk took a wee bit of heart from that.

"I don't really think they put us under pressure in terms of our defensive first box entries. I don't think Jerome [Prior] had a lot to do today.

"But I think when the game came into our final third, we dealt with most of the problems. I think the players have got to take a lot of credit for that."

On Scott Pittman chasing the club's all-time top goalscoring record: "I'm delighted for wee Pats. He's played the most games ever in the Premiership and he's now chasing the top goalscorer in Livingston. Last year was a difficult season for him because I don't think it suited him how we played, playing against a low block.

"But coming up to the Premiership, he looks like a revitalised player."

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Livingston pair Connor McLennan and Cristian Montano are pushing for involvement but Aidan Denholm (hamstring) and Cammy Kerr are out long term.

Sean Mackie returns to the Falkirk squad after recovering from a calf problem. Finn Yeats, Barney Stewart (both foot), Coll Donaldson (pelvis), Jamie Sneddon (hernia) and Tom Lang remain out.

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Livingston winger Lewis Smith feels better equipped for life in the Premiership after being "toughened up" by four years in the lower leagues.

The 25-year-old made 36 appearances in the top flight for Hamilton between August 2018 and May 2021 before they were relegated.

Now he is back in the big time with Livi, having joined David Martindale's side last summer from Accies, and is ready to make an impact.

"It's been a while now, so I'm looking forward to getting back to playing in the Premiership," he said ahead of Livi's first home league game of the season against Falkirk. "Everybody wants to play at the highest level and that's it in this country.

"I definitely feel like I'm better equipped for it now. I think a few years down in the lower leagues, it gives you a bit of experience and toughens you up a wee bit and stuff like that.

"I think I'm a better player all round the game, so hopefully I can make an impact this year.

"On a personal level, just to help the team as best I can and hopefully chip in with goals and assists. I got a few last year, but hopefully I get some more."

Livingston took 10 points from their four meetings with Championship title winners Falkirk last term, and Smith is relishing Saturday's top-flight reunion between the two promoted sides.

"We know what Falkirk are like," he said. "Obviously we played them last year a few times and managed to win, but we know they'll be tough opponents.

"We saw that with them winning the league last year and they got a decent result last week too. They'll be right up for it as well, so it'll be a tough game, but hopefully we can win."