Marvin Bartley is enjoying being the manager of Livingston FC, despite their precarious position, anchoring the 12-strong William Hill Premiership, 12 points adrift of second-bottom Kilmarnock, and not having won since he took over from David Martindale.
However, the ex-Hibs player is out of contract at the end of the season and, not surprisingly in these challenging times, he is looking for job security. So are others on the Livingston coaching staff.
The 39-year-old, Reading-born ex-midfielder, admitted to having spoken to West Lothian club bosses about his future, seeking clarity, as Livingston have to plan for next season, that’s if they remain in the top league or slip down into the Championship.
The current focus is the visit of long-time league leaders, Hearts, to The Home of the Set Fare Arena on Sunday, but Livingston have 16 players who are out of contract at the end of the season, and that also has to be resolved.
Bartley said everybody is available for the game apart from Connor McLennan and that could include Aidan Denholm who has been on the injury list long-term after joining from Hearts.
He was disappointed with the fundamentals of the club’s performance in their 2-0 defeat at Kilmarnock on March 21 and he said: “Every game is massive since I came in and nothing has changed.”
Bartley also urged his men to have more quality in the final third of the pitch.
Kick-off time on Sunday, incidentally, is 2pm.
FLASHBACK: Livi v Hearts on August 20 when Hearts won 2-1 thanks to an injury-time strike from Alex Kyziridis. Picture by Nigel Duncan
