Cast your mind back to August 9 last year, Matchday Two of 33 in the William Hil Premiership. Newly-promoted Livingston beat last season’s Championship winners, Falkirk, 3-1 at the Home of the Set Fair Arena thanks to goals from Pittman, Smith and Bokila.
That result pushed the West Lothian club into third position in the 12-strong table and offered optimism for the future. Sadly, it has been downhill from that date.
Fast forward this Wednesday when Livingston entertain John McGlynn’s men for a second time in the league. It is Matchday 25 of 33 and it’s a totally different story.
Livingston are anchored at the bottom of the table, six points adrift of second-bottom, Kilmarnock, while Falkirk are sitting pretty in sixth spot.
In football, fortunes can change suddenly. David Martindale was in the dugout on Saturday afternoon when his men lost 2-0 at home to high-flying Motherwell, a result which brought to an end his tenure as manager of the Men from the Set Fare Arena.
The next morning, in stepped English-born Marvin Bartley, a former captain and assistant manager of the club, who was part of the coaching team in Saturday’s disappointing home defeat.
It is the former Hibs, Leyton Orient, AFC Bournemouth, and Burnley midfielder, who has management experience with Queen of the South, who now calls the shots from the dugout against McGlynn’s men and he is desperate to snap a depressing winless run for The Lions.
It stretches back 22 league matches, to August 9, equalling an unwanted Scottish record.
Bartley came out fighting in his first media briefing. He believes “100 per cent” that he has the staff to achieve survival in the top fight this term.
The numbers are simple. Livingston anchor the table with 11 points from 24 matches. Second-bottom Kilmarnock have 17 points from the same number of games while third-bottom, St Mirren, had 20 points from 23 starts before Tuesday’s joust with pace-setting Hearts at Paisley.
Bartley believes. The buck stops with him, and he said: “I came in (on Sunday) as coach and left as manager. Things happened extremely quickly. I spoke to David (Martindale) and he made it clear what was next for him. I did not expect it to happen.”
Barley is, quite simply, a fresh voice, a fresh approach, and he confirmed that he will take training with the current staff, pick the team, and make the substitutions on match-day.
Unsurprisingly, he declared: “We need to pick our results up very, very quickly.” That, hopefully, for Livi’s long-suffering fans, will start on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old admitted he will “lean on” Martindale for advice, but he added: “In terms of day-to-day, training, when we do it, what we do, is all down to me and the coaching staff.
“Any opportunity in management is a great opportunity. I understand the position we are in, but I am here because we have won one game all season.
“I understand that, but, if I did not believe I could change that, and pick up points to keep this club safe, then I would not be sitting here.”
He stressed: “I spoke to everyone at the football club and we are all in it together and we will all pull together.”
And he declared: “I believe in the players that are here.”
MEDIA FOCUS: Marvin Bartley prepares to meet the media at The Home of the Set Fare Arena. Picture Nigel Duncan
