Livingston boss admits Lions would be open to English Premier League feeder club idea

Livingston boss David Martindale says the Lions would be open to the possibility of becoming a feeder club for an English Premiership outfit - and admits he doesn’t see his long-term future being at the club without investment to take them to the next level.

The Tony Macaroni Arena outfit have continued to punch well above their weight and are currently in their fifth consecutive top flight campaign despite continually having the smallest budget in the division.

That results in players regularly leaving West Lothian for more money elsewhere while a string of experienced players could be heading for the exit this summer with skipper Nicky Devlin and midfielders Jason Holt, Stephane Omeonga and Andrew Shinnie being out of contract.

Asked if he can see himself working at the club for the remainder of his career Martindale, who has performed various roles during his nine years with the Lions, commented: “Under the current infrastructure, no. For the club, and for me, to kick on in the next five to 10 years we need someone to come in.

“We need a Mark Ogren, a Dave Cormack. Folk moan about these investments but I’d bite your hand off for it at Livingston. Our CEO John Ward would bite your hand off for it.

“I’m not going to say we’ve hit a glass ceiling so to speak because I think there is more to come from the current people at the club, including myself and the players but it’s very difficult every year replacing coaches and replacing players. It’s very difficult when you are losing your best players to other clubs because they can pay more money.

“My best players aren’t saying, ‘Can I get another contract on the same money?’ Why would they? But I can’t offer any more money.”

He added: “Yes we’re doing very, very well but do