David Martindale wants to ‘agree a route forward’ at Livingston after relegation

Livingston boss David Martindale expects his future to be clarified at the end of the season but he insisted he remains steadfast in his desire to remain at the club as they face up to life in the Championship.

The Lions still have three top-flight fixtures remaining this term after being relegated from the Premiership last Saturday.

Martindale will hold talks with the Livingston board after the final match against Hibernian when he hopes the “raw emotion” of demotion will have faded, but the 49-year-old is in no doubt about what he hopes the outcome of those discussions will be.

“I’d like the opportunity to be here but it’s not about what I want,” he said at a media briefing on Wednesday.

“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.

“Livingston have been unbelievable for me and I’m never ever going to walk out on the club. 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.”

Martindale is “still trying to crack on with recruitment” for next season and is enthused about the prospect of being tasked with trying to bring the Lions back up to the top flight.

“When I look at the players that are going to be here and the staff that’s currently in the building, have we got a huge desire and appetite to get the club back to the Premiership? Of course we have,” he said.

“Just speaking about me personally, have I got a huge desire to go and prove everyone wrong again? Yeah.

“Every year most people had us down for relegation but that’s fuel to my fire. Would I like to be involved in trying to take Livingston back to the Premiership? Of course I would.”