Livingston

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Relegated Livingston will get a taste of life back in the Scottish Championship after being drawn with two of next season's league rivals in the Premier Sports Cup group stage.

Mark Wilson's Partick Thistle, who lost in the Premiership Play-off final to St Mirren after finishing runners-up to St Johnstone, will be expected to be Livingston's main rivals for top spot.

However, part-time Stenhousemuir will also be preparing for their first-ever Championship campaign after winning promotion via a play-off final win over Alloa Athletic having finished runners-up in League 1 behind Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

By then, both the Ochil View outfit and Livingston will have a new manager, with midfielder Scott Arfield, who was in interim charge in West Lothian after the resignation of Marvin Bartley, not being under consideration for the post permanently.

Stenhousemuir are seeking a new manager after Gary Naysmith left to take charge of Championship rivals Ayr United at the end of the season.

Livingston's final two group opponents are Jim Weir's Forfar Athletic, who were fourth in League 2, and Andy Kirk's Highland League runners-up, Brechin City.

The West Lothian side finished runners-up in their group last season behind Premiership rivals Kilmarnock but qualified as one of the best second-placed sides before losing to Hibernian in the second round.

Next season's group stage begins on 11/12 July and finishes on 25/26 July.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Former Dundee boss Tony Docherty has informed Livingston he no longer wants to be under consideration for the position of head coach at the West Lothian club.

Docherty had spoken to Livingston after the position became vacant when Marvin Bartley left the club with three games left of last season.

The club were relegated from the Scottish Premiership after finishing in bottom spot in the table after gaining promotion 12 months ago through the play-offs when they defeated Ross County.

Docherty is understood to be looking at other coaching opportunities and recently has been working with the Scottish FA at coaching seminars.

Scott Arfield took charge of the club for the last three matches of the season but is not under consideration for the job although there remains a possibility of a player/coach role with Livingston.

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Livingston shipped striker Tete Yengi out to Japan in January and, while his parent club slipped to relegation from the Scottish Premiership, the 25-year-old has won himself a call-up to Australia's pre-World Cup training squad.

Yengi joined the West Lothian club in January 2024 from Ipswich Town and his 10 goals in 43 appearances helped win promotion last season.

But, after just two goals in 22 at the start of the current season, half as a substitute, he joined Machida Zelvia and has helped them finish third in Japan's East Region - and reach the final of the Asian Champions League, where they lost to Al-Ahli.

Yengi's six goals in 22 appearances have led to a first call-up to the Socceroos' squad and he now will hope to be among head coach Tony Popovic's final picks for this summer's finals.

Former Hearts defender Kye Rowles, now with DC United, has also been added to the squad, but Hibernian forward Ante Suto has been released along with Dundee-born Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson.

Livingston say Cammy Palmer will add "energy, technical quality and versatility" to their squad after the midfielder agreed a pre-contract to join from Glentoran.

The 26-year-old has previously played in Scotland with Partick Thistle and Clyde on loan from Rangers. He also had a loan at Orange County and joined Linfield in 2021 and Glentoran two years later.

"Primarily a central midfielder, Palmer is also capable of operating in both attacking and defensive midfield roles," Livingston said.

At Glentoran, Livi say Palmer "became an important figure in midfield, impressing with his work rate, passing ability and composure on the ball across three strong seasons with the club, featuring 100 times".

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Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

The Killie game closed the curtain on a dismal season and demonstrated why we were relegated.

We played well for large parts of the game, with Stevie May rolling back the years with a turbo-charged performance.

Then we were all over the place, gifted goals, and self‑imploded to be miles off it at the end.

The big news before the game was players who were due to leave the club said they'd rather not play in case of injury.

I can understand the fear of an injury that scuppers a potential move and impacts your livelihood, but in how many other jobs would you get paid while asking not to do your work? I guess it's goodbye and see you later from those guys.

It's also goodbye to Danny Wilson, who put in a good shift over the past few years and was there giving 100 per cent at the end too, which is a credit to his professionalism.

There have also been a few signings announced by the club, which is a real positive. There's a lot of experience incoming with Sam Nicholson and Liam Polworth.

If we learned one thing from the "mature" signings we dragged out of retirement, it's that we also need young legs who are willing to put the hard yards in.

I'm very keen to see what winger Tyrese Sinclair and young Arbroath defender Jack Wilkie will bring.

It's clear now that we are recruiting for a coach who will have to be on board with someone else's signings.

Will it be someone else at the club, other than the new coach, picking the team, tactics, and all that stuff? Who knows, but I'm intrigued to see who will take the job - and how long it all lasts.

Watch highlights as Livingston's Premiership season ended with a heavy defeat by Kilmarnock.

Kilmarnock finished the Scottish Premiership season with a flourish, winning their fourth game in a row for the first time since 2018 as they dispatched already-relegated Livingston.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Livingston interim boss Scott Arfield: "Kilmarnock were really good, moving the ball with completely and utter fluidity and flexibility. We get a good goal, we were brilliant for 20 minutes, causing problems.

"[The club is] in a period of large transition. The biggest thing is [the board] need to get it right. They need to, because the Championship is a tough league to get out of.

"This needs to kick on in the next two or three weeks. Get ready for pre-season and the Cup competitions and hit the ground running to get the calibre of player through these doors to get the club back to the top division.

"It's not always in a playing capacity. It's behind the scenes. It's personalities within a club that makes a difference when the going gets tough.

"Of course, you want to play amazing football with good football players, but the actual desire and the hunger to make a difference sometimes far exceeds the actual technicality of a football player."

On his own future, Arfield added: "I don't actually know. I've no idea. I just wanted to get to this stage in the season, to get to this today and then reassess the options in the summer. If it is here, then obviously I'll do my best to get the club back up. If it isn't, then I'm very grateful for the experience, both as a player and in this interim role."

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Sam Nicholson has agreed to join Livingston for next season as the experienced midfielder moves on from Motherwell.

The 32-year-old missed the first half of this season with a knee injury, making 11 appearances as a substitute in all competitions since January.

The former Hearts and Bristol Rovers player moved to Fir Park from Colorado Rapids in January 2024.

His last act in a Motherwell shirt was to concede a contentious stoppage-time penalty in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat to Celtic.

Livingston have been busy in the transfer market since their relegation to the Championship was confirmed, with Jack Wilkie and Tyrese Sinclair also signed up in recent days.

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Livingston are without Connor McLennan (ankle).

Kilmarnock could bring back Kelle Roos while Tyreece John-Jules (quad), Djenairo Daniels (knee) and Matty Kennedy (hip) are sidelined.

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Livingston have signed York City forward Tyrese Sinclair on a two-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.

The 25-year-old will arrive this summer when his contract with the English National League side ends.

Campbell joined York two years ago and has made 59 apperances, scoring eight goals. He has spent time on loan this season at Solihull Moors and Hartlepool.

Campbell is Livingston's second signing - after Arbroath defender Jack Wilkie - as they prepare for a return to the Championship after top-flight relegation.

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• Kilmarnock could win four Premiership games in a row for the first time since October 2018 under Steve Clarke.

• Livingston have only lost one of their past nine Scottish Premiership home games against Kilmarnock (W5 D3), a 3-1 defeat in October 2020.

• Kilmarnock are unbeaten in seven Premiership games against Livingston (W4 D3), after losing five in a row beforehand.

• Livingston have just 21 points this season; the last side to end a Scottish top-flight campaign with so few were Dundee in 2018-19 (also 21), while the last with fewer were Livingston themselves in 2005-06 (18).

• Kilmarnock lost their final league match of last season 1-0 to Hearts, but haven't done so in successive Premiership campaigns since losing three in a row from 2014-15 to 2016-17.

Marvin Bartley, working as a Sportscene pundit, discusses his recent resignation as manager of relegated Livingston and what comes next.

Watch all the action as Dundee United played out a goalless draw against relegated side Livingston. Available to UK users only.

Dundee United will finish top of the Scottish Premiership's bottom six after completing their home campaign with a goalless draw against relegated Livingston.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Livingston interim manager Scott Arfield: "I thought we were brilliant. I thought we were really, really good. A tough place to come.

"There was a chance where Cristian Montano had three or four shots, had a chance to get it away, and then it comes to Robbie Muirhead and he hits it and it gets deflected. But on another day we walk away with at least scoring one goal, never mind two or three.

"Maybe there's something in that... the shackles are off because you know your fate for next season. You probably have a wee bit more freedom and a wee bit more imagination, so to speak.

"But I don't understand that either, because I came in here in February and in terms of the training levels... it was never reciprocated or replicated in the league position. Marvin [Bartley] had them absolutely popping the ball about and the performance levels were brilliant for a consistent period of time.

"We've had an opportunity now to go again and do something a wee bit different and we've done it. I feel as if the players have really, really enjoyed it. I would love to play in that system as well. You're going to give up chances just by the nature of the formation that we play in and the adventurousness. But in terms of the actual output, the physical output, I couldn't ask for any more of the team.

"I've loved the last week. I've absolutely really enjoyed it. Whether it's a honeymoon period where it's a wee bit different, I don't know."

Stuart Barrie
Fan writer

This season has gone from bad to terrible, with the long-hanging relegation confirmation swiftly followed by the manager and his assistant walking away.

It was a total shock when Marvin Bartley posted on his socials that he was leaving, citing that having to apply for his own position wasn't what had been agreed.

This has really rocked the Livi boat and we are in serious danger of having more managers than wins this season.

To be fair, that's only one side of the story and the club only really gave it a small mention in a rallying statement from the chairman last Thursday, which is fair enough given there may be a lot of ramifications around big Marv's decision.

What is for sure is it riled a lot of Livi fans. There has been a fair bit of negativity towards David Martindale, which built and built across the season, and it kind of went quiet when he stepped 'upstairs'.

The resignation ignited a lot of anger among the support and that was directed at the old manager. I always thought it was 50/50 in terms of a divide for and against Martindale, but this week it was clear there were a lot of fans very much against.

There have been lots of questions raised about who actually picks the team and the complete control Martindale has at the club.

There may be a way forward with Martindale as director of football being open and transparent with fans on how things are and how things will work. That dialogue is the very least that can happen.

Some of the folks I sit beside are already saying they won't renew because they are so scunnered with everything and feel the club is under the total control of one person.

As fans, we have to give the chairman the chance to put his plan into place and make the changes necessary to get us back into the Premiership at the first time of asking.

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• Dundee United have won their past five league games against sides starting the day bottom of the Scottish Premiership since a 1-1 draw with Hibernian in November 2024.

• Livingston have lost their past two league games against United and could lose to them three times in a row in the top flight for the first time.

• United have only lost their final home game in one of their past six Premiership seasons (W2 D3), a 3-0 defeat to Kilmarnock in 2022-23.

• Livingston haven't won their final away game in any of their past 10 top-flight seasons (D2 L8) since a 3-2 victory at Hearts in 2001-02.

• Dundee United's Jim Goodwin has lost just one of his nine managerial home games against Livingston in the Premiership (W4 D4), losing 2-1 with Aberdeen in April 2022.

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Dundee United midfielder Emmanuel Agyei drops out through suspension while Dario Naamo has gone for a scan on a foot injury.

Amar Fatah, Luca Stephenson (both hamstring), Kristijan Trapanovski, Isaac Pappoe (both knee) and goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer (shoulder) remain out.

Livingston interim head coach Scott Arfield will freshen his side. Jeremy Bokila is improving his fitness but Connor McLennan (ankle) is still out.