Livingston

David Martindale makes three changes to his side following last weekend's 4-1 defeat to Motherwell.

Joel Nouble starts after netting his first goal of the season in the last Saturday's loss. Cristian Montano returns in defence, as Tete Yengi leads the forward line.

Ayo Obileye - who was doubtful after picking up a toe injury - and Daniel MacKay drop to the bench, whilst Jason Holt misses out entirely.

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Livingston: George, Brandon, Devlin, Nottingham, Montano, Sean Kelly, Stephen Kelly, Pittman, Anderson, Nouble, Yengi.

Substitutes: Wright, Carson, Obileye, MacKay, Bradley, Sangare, Shinnie, Guthrie, Sharp.

St Johnstone: Mitov, McGowan, Gordon, Keltjens, Wright, MacPherson, Phillips, Carey, Clark, May, Sidibeh.

Substitutes: Richards, Considine, Jaiyesimi, Kucheriavyi, Olufunwa, Kimpioka, M Smith, Franczak, C Smith.

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Livingston will make a late decision on the fitness of Ayo Obileye after the defender went off with a toe issue in last weekend’s defeat by Motherwell. Goalkeeper Jack Hamilton (groin), James Penrice (hip) and Shaun Donnellan are all set to remain on the sidelines.

St Johnstone’s Luke Robinson will be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while Tony Gallacher is doubtful with a calf issue. Sven Sprangler is still not ready to play after a knee problem but Diallang Jaiyesimi is likely to be named on the bench after two months out injured.

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Greenock Morton striker Robbie Muirhead will join Livingston this summer on a two-year deal having signed a pre-contract with the West Lothian club.

The 28-year-old has scored 44 goals for Morton since signing from Dunfermline in 2019.

He is the third player to sign a pre-contract with Livi in recent weeks, following Liam Sole and Matthew Clarke.

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Captain Mikey Devlin is determined to lead Livingston in the Scottish Championship next season.

The West Lothian side's relegation was confirmed last weekend with a 4-1 defeat away to Motherwell and Devlin says they simply were not good enough to stay up.

The 30-year-old anticipates plenty of change over the summer, but insists he expects to be at the club beyond this summer.

“I’ve got a contract for next year so, as it stands, yes,” Devlin said.

“I’ll need to speak to the manager to see if that’s what he wants as well.

“I understand that when a club gets relegated there’s going to be change and things might not always be the way you would want it to be, so me and the gaffer will have a chat and see what’s best moving forward.

“Having been in the Premiership, we don’t want to have to go down to the Championship but that’s the result of not being good enough all season.

“My job is to turn up every day and do what I’m asked to do and be the best I can possibly be to help the club. That will start next year being in the Championship and doing everything we can to get the club back into the Premiership.”

David Martindale's side have three league fixtures remaining and Devlin wants to finish the campaign on a high note.

“We want to try and win the three games and try and restore a bit of pride,” said Devlin, whose side host St Johnstone on Saturday.

“You don’t want to finish the season as far adrift as we are at the moment, so we want to try and win those last three games and close the gap a little bit to make it look a little bit more respectable.”

You could pick this one or Ross County's home game against Motherwell given their equal significance in helping decide who ends in the play-off spot.

St Johnstone are the current occupiers after last week's defeat at Pittodrie left them two points adrift of County, with both sides holding an identical goal difference.

Saints are on a bleak run of just one win in seven games at just the wrong moment, and they, along with Saturday's opponents Livingston, are the lowest scorers in the league with a turgid 25 goals from 35 games.

It is a truly awful return and one that must have alarm bells ringing at McDiarmid Park. If they can't beat already-relegated Livingston, then hope of scraping to 10th will fade fast.

It is pivotal for Craig Levein and his team they do not welcome County to Perth on Wednesday any further behind.

Don't expect a classic, but the stakes couldn't be much higher for Saints.

Read all the weekend's Premiership picks

• All three league meetings between Livingston and St Johnstone this season have been drawn; the last fixture to be drawn four times in a Scottish top-flight campaign was Dunfermline Athletic v Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2011-12.

• St Johnstone are winless in four league visits to Livingston (D2 L2) since a 2-1 victory in February 2022.

• After their 2-0 win over Ross County, Livingston are looking to pick up back-to-back home league victories for the first time since May 2023 (run of 3).

• St Johnstone have lost nine of their last 12 league games (W2 D1), including their last three. However, all of their last three league wins have come away from home.

• St Johnstone boss Craig Levein has drawn seven of his last eight games against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership, with the exception in this period a 5-0 defeat with Hearts in December 2018.

Relegated Livingston welcome St Johnstone on Saturday as they look to end a poor season positively.

Should David Martindale make changes now his side's fate has been sealed? Click here to choose your XI.

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Livingston manager David Martindale insists he wants to lead the club in the Championship next season, but says there have not been any talks over his future.

The West Lothian side's relegation was confirmed with last weekend's 4-1 defeat to Motherwell, but still have three league games to play.

Martindale confirmed talks about his own future will take place after the final game of the season against Hibs, and stressed he only wants what is best for the club.

“I’d like the opportunity to be here but it’s not about what I want,” he said.

“I’m not going to walk out on Livingston Football Club, I’ve said that over and over again.

“I could have done that at the start of the season or in previous seasons. If the two Johns (owner John McIlvogue and chairman John Ward), (chief executive) Dave Black and myself can sit down, we can agree a route forward.

“We’ve been in this together for numerous seasons and there’s been a lot of success in those seasons – don’t forget that. But let’s get these next three games out the way and then we’ll sit down as a group and have an honest discussion about what we want to do.

“There are other staff who are more important than my immediate future, but would I like to be the one that’s given the opportunity to take Livingston back to the Premiership? Of course I would or I wouldn’t be sitting here.

“The easiest thing to do in times of adversity is to walk out and look after yourself. I’m not going to put David Martindale first. Livingston Football Club comes before me.”

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Livingston have signed Linfield defender Matthew Clarke on a pre-contract as they prepare for life in the Scottish Championship.

Clarke, who will sign a two-year deal with the relegated West Lothian club, made more than 400 appearances and won five Northern Irish Premiership titles in an 11-season stint with Linfield.

The 30-year-old is Livingston's second pre-contract signing for next season, with midfielder Liam Sole secured from English side Maidstone United.

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After relegation was confirmed in brutal fashion on Saturday, it's going to be a really tough time at Livingston.

Now the players have to be professional - they are playing for their futures as well. It’s a club that’s not financially stable, so it’ll be a big summer for Livingston.

David Martindale has done a fantastic job over the last few years. He has had them punching above their weight, but unfortunately for those in West Lothian, it’s caught up with them this year.

When I think about a Livi team, I think about a robust, hard-to-beat team, but they have looked vulnerable all year.

They need to get back to what they were, but that may depend on whether Martindale can stay and try to get them back up.

Former Scotland goalkeeper Cammy Bell was speaking to BBC Sport Scotland's George O'Neill.

Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

It’s official, Livingston are down.

The threat of relegation has been hanging over us for a long time, so in a weird way it’s a relief to finally get it over with.

With the poor season we've had, most Livi fans probably had very little hope of staying up even after last week’s win over Ross County.

Nevertheless, I did want to see a performance like last week's at Motherwell, but we just couldn’t pull that off.

It was the usual story, played okay in parts but just didn’t have the quality to get any sort of result. Yes, we had a goal chopped off, but I'm not sure any Livi fan would say that had a massive bearing on the game.

I've said it before and will say it again, the manager and players need to give the fans some entertainment for the remaining games. We’ve been goal-starved all season, so let’s try to go out with a bang.

It seems there is clearout on the way, I can’t see many players wanting to stay and I can’t see many fans wanting many of these players to stay either.

But the pressure is off now, so let's all just have fun with our football and maybe put some smiles on faces.

We asked for your thoughts after a 4-1 defeat at Fir Park confirmed Livingston's relegation to the Scottish Championship.

Here's what you had to say:

Jennifer: It's been a tough season watching Livi, now hopefully on and off the park the club can come back and give us something to cheer on next season.

Matt: It's worrying that David Martindale is talking like he already knows he will be here next season. What does it truly say about Livi's ambition if they aren't even considering the concept of fresh ideas and a new face at the helm going forward? This must be the price you pay when sacking a manager means you need to find a new janitor, decorator and cook as well?

Neil: We finished with a whimper! Too many players looking for the door. Martindale is a fighter, but the team looked defeated. We have a Championship budget and can only really compete at that level, unless we get some real cash into the club. Taylor Swift gee us yer dosh!

Richard: Manager's fault. Chopping and changing his starting 11. Making bad sub moves for the sake of things.

Livingston, whose relegation from the Scottish Premiership has been confirmed, "have not got the finances" of clubs like Dundee United or Hearts when they found themselves in the Championship, says manager David Martindale. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Dundee and Kilmarnock have targeted 25-year-old striker Bruce Anderson, who is poised to leave Livingston this summer at the end of his contract. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip

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Livingston will likely have to content with a "full new team" following the relegation from the Scottish Premiership, says Falkirk midfielder Stephen McGinn.

The West Lothian club's faint survival hopes were put to bed after a thumping 4-1 defeat at Motherwell confirmed their place in the second tier next season.

McGinn feels this summer will be one of change at Almondvale, with manager David Martindale already saying there will be a big overhaul in playing staff.

"David Martindale, if he's staying on as a manager, that'll be the intention to get the club back to the Premiership," he told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

I think it's almost the end of an era in terms of a lot of players that have been there for a long time. I think there'll be big changes. There'll be a full new team.

One of the hardest bits will be gelling a new team. There'll be a lot of new players and as we all know, the Championship's unforgiving.

"They will have to be ready for what it is."

Following confirmation of their relegation from the Scottish top flight, BBC Scotland takes a look back at Livingston's highlights during their six-year Premiership stay.

Livingston boss David Martindale says serious planning for next season is already under way after their relegation was confirmed.

Well, the day is finally here. Livingston's relegation from the Premiership has been confirmed.

What did you make of the showing at Motherwell, and the season as a whole? Are you confident the club can bounce back at the first time of asking?

Let us know.

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Livingston manager David Martindale tells BBC Scotland: "I think I've been able to mentally prepare for this day for a long time now. This was a high probabality that this was going to happen.

"Serious planning starts for next season now, I've already started planning. We're the architects of our own downfall. We've not been good enough, but there's been huge moments that have gone against us.

"Today, I think there's three decision from VAR. The penalty is really harsh if I'm honest. I think the player is aiming for that body part [hand].

"Our disallowed goal, I think it's actually a foul on Brucey [Anderson]. I felt it was a perfectly good goal.

4-1 down, I think it's a red card. Joel Nouble is clean through on goal. If there's no contact, you have to book Joel. The decisions today were baffling.

"I've got to take responsibility, I don't want to sit here playing technology or players. I've obviously underperformed, the group's obviously underperformed.

"We've never been in the premiership for six years. We've done that. We broke history, it's really important that doesn't get lost.

"We've had a couple of top-six finishes, a cup final. Hopefully there's a bit of realism applied to it.

"If the club want me here, I'll be here fighting and doing everything I can to get the club back to the Premiership.

"For next year, the aim is to go straight back up. But we're not Hearts or Dundee United. We don't have the same budget. I honestly feel we're capable."