Livingston is in their biggest game for many years on Sunday when they take on St Mirren in the Betfred Cup semi-final.
They have come a long way in the last few years, having been in League One as recently as 2017. However, those days are well in the past, and they are firmly established as a Premiership club.
Now Livingston chief executive John Ward has disclosed the two decisions that the club made after they were relegated to League one in 2016 that helped to turn around the club’s fortunes.
“The turning point”
“The decisions we made to stay full-time and then keep the David Hopkin-David Martindale partnership in the dugout have, ultimately, been the turning point in the club’s success” he said (Daily Record).
Livingston manager David Martindale (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
“If we went a different way with either of those decisions, who knows what could have been the case. We’re certainly unlikely to have been where we are right now. Actually, the reality was that after doing the sums, it really wasn’t that much of a saving by going part-time” Ward continued.
One game away from first final since 2004
After the years of difficulties, Livingston are now one game away from returning to a first League Cup Final since 2004. A final that they won by beating Hibernian 2-0.
Livingston is one game away from a first cup final in 17 years (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Ward feels that reaching the final would be a validation of the way that the club has been run in recent years.
“It would be hugely satisfying if we could even just get to the final. It would be phenomenal. I think you could say it would be justification for how we go about things” Ward concluded.