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Match Report: Livingston 0-1 Stenhousemuir

Marvin Bartley enjoys winning return to Almondvale as Stenny’s dream start continues. After 8 minutes, Livingston believed that they should have had a penalty as Grant appeared to have handled the ball in an unnatural position, however, it was waved away by the referee, and in the following phase of play, Anderson had a free header inside the Stenhousemuir box, but the striker’s header was too central and as a result was easily saved by Jamieson. Moments later Kabongolo won the ball back and played a ball over the top into the path of Anderson, who found Palmer, whose first time, side footed effort from outside the area went wide. After a strong start from the hosts, it was the visitors who hit the front. Kabongolo’s pass was intercepted high up the pitch and eventually into Anderson’s path, who then found Shinnie, who made no mistake with the finish, confidently slotting the ball past Prior at his near post. With just over 15 minutes until first half stoppage time, another Livingston penalty appeal was waved away, this time for a shirt pull inside the area, much to the disbelief of Anderson. Minutes later, Bruce Anderson did well to get on the end of a cross from the right-hand side, but the striker’s header went just past the post. HT: Livingston 0-1 Stenhousemuir Early into the second half, Stenhousemuir were awarded a controversial free kick after the referee had already played advantage, which they nearly scored from. The ball was played into the path of Robson, who ran onto the ball and forced Prior into making a reasonably comfortable save. Muirhead played a smart ball over the top into Anderson’s path, who did well to work space to get his shot off, but was denied by Bright, who stayed switched on to clear the ball off the goal line. Van Hoeven worked the ball onto his left foot and had a shot from outside the area, which he caught well, but his effort, which was very central, was tipped over the top by Jamieson. Just past the hour mark, Livingston, for the third time, believed they should have had a penalty, when Van Hoeven went down inside the area, however, out of all three penalty appeals, that one would have been the softest had it have been awarded. A Stenhousemuir corner nearly resulted in a goal for Livi. Polworth initially done well to get to the ball first and find space just inside the opposition half, before spotting the keeper off his line and having a go, but his effort went just past the post. A smart effort from the Livingston substitute. Sinclair was next to appeal for a penalty after feeling contact on his back and going down, but, for the fourth time, the referee waved away the appeals. After 3 minutes of additional time, the referee drew the game to a close. A disappointing evening for the hosts, however, yet another brilliant result for Marvin Bartley’s men, who move five points clear at the top of the Championship. Livingston: Prior (6), Doherty (6), McGowan (6), Kabongolo (5), Wilkie (6), Palmer (6), Danso (6), Culbert (6), Muirhead (6), Anderson , Van Hoeven (7) Substitutes: Carey, Fati (6), Hamilton, Iseni, Kerr, May (6), Pittman, Polworth (6), Sinclair (6) Stenhousemuir: Jamieson (8), Grant (8), Young (8), Bright (8), Meechan (7), Anderson (8), Robson (7), Bilham (7), Hodgkiss (6), Shinnie (8), O’Donnell (7) Substitutes: Aitken, Buchanan, Gillies (6), Hemfrey, MacIntyre (6), O’Reilly (6), Penman, Scally (6), Stevenson (6)

September 4, 2026

Partick Thistle 2-0 Livingston: Jags Make Statement Victory under Firhill Lights

Partick Thistle 2-0 Livingston Crawford (4′) MacPherson (43′ og) A first-half double sealed a crucial home win for Partick Thistle, sending them straight to the top of the Scottish Championship after a flawless start to the season. The hosts exploded into life after four minutes, keen to add to their opening-day victory over Morton. New signing Seb Drozd combined with the overlapping Ben MacPherson, whose low cross was expertly flicked home on the penalty spot by Robbie Crawford. The goal rewarded the Jags’ fast start, and sent a packed-out home section into a frenzy. Drozd and MacPherson were in the mood early on; the pair combined again moments later, before Drozd dragged wide with a left-footed effort. Glen Whelan cut a frustrated figure on the Livingston touchline; after conceding early, his side struggled to hold possession of the ball, and were wasteful in the final third. But the Lions would gradually embed themselves into proceedings; positive play down the right saw the ball drop to Scott Pittman on the edge of the midfield. With only one thought on his mind, the midfielder laced a right-footed effort off the crossbar, to the encouragement of the travelling faithful. Thistle burst into life in the 38th minute. A swift break saw Aiden Fitzpatrick drive at Livingston’s back line. The winger picked out the onrushing Oisin Smyth, whose curling shot was diverted wide by Jerome Prior. Fitzpatrick would double their advantage on the stroke of half-time. After a penalty box stramash, the winger’s low cross was diverted off Cammy MacPherson and snuck into Prior’s net. A stroke of luck perhaps, but the hosts deserved their half-time lead. As for Livingston, a huge second half awaited for Whelan. Whelan turned to his bench to introduce summer signing Bradly Van Hoeven. The tricky winger immediately looked lively, delivering a dangerous ball from the right-hand side that narrowly evaded Brooklyn Kabongolo. As Livingston searched for a route back into the match, the visitors pinched the ball from Smyth, allowing Babacar Fati to scuff a shot toward Liam McFarlane. The home faithful rose to their feet on the hour mark to welcome Ben Stanway. The 21-year-old midfielder has committed to another year at Firhill and should prove to be a key player for Mark Wilson this season. Liam Polworth and Droz both tested the opposition goalkeepers with speculative efforts before McFarlane collided with the post while backpedalling to deal with a cross for the hosts. Thistle pressed for a third goal around the 70-minute mark. Substitute Euan Henderson fired in a low cross that bounced off the post, and Letosa diverted the rebound over the bar as The Jags looked to kill off the game. Despite being second best, a 2-0 scoreline still offered a glimmer of hope for the visitors. Late in the game, Muirhead released Tyrese Sinclair into space in a dangerous area on the 80-minute mark, but Cale Loughrey stood his ground well to block the winger’s powerful effort. In the end, it was a statement victory for The Jags, who move top of the Championship with a deserved victory. Partick Thistle: McFarlane 8 McPherson 8 O’Reilly 8 Reading 8 Letsosa 9 Smyth 7 Drozd 9 Crawford 8 Fitzpatrick 8 Samuel 9 Substitutes: Henderson 7 Watt 7 Stanway 7Logan 7 Livingston: Prior 5 Doherty 5 Kabongolo 56 Robertson 4 Fati 4 Pittman 5 MacPherson 5 Palmer 4 Sinclair 5 Muirhead 5 Carey 5 Substitutes: Van Hoeven 4 Polworth 4 McGowan 4 Anderson 4

August 6, 2026

“the performance was really good” – Glen Whelan on their 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle

Glen Whelan expressed his feeling following their draw with the Jags, despite losing out on a bonus point in the penalty shootout. The two sides who will most likely to battling for the Championship title come the end of the season went head-to-head in the League Cup which ended in a 1-1 draw with Mark Wilson’s men gaining the extra point after winning 3-2 on pens. Despite not holding onto the one goal lead, the Livingston boss claimed he was not frustrated by the equaliser and penalty defeat. Whelan said: “Not frustration no, lots of positives going forward, it’s a little different because it’s not a league game we have to make some changes to protect some lads, to try and get them up to speed and get fitness in the legs. So, yeah one-nil up but I think it was, you know Partick had made a few attacking changes, we look over our shoulder and we have three or four young lads, it’s a little bit more difficult, but I think overall, I think the performance was really good, I think the chances we created were really good, so lots of positives.” With many new faces in the camp, Glen Whelan is very pleased with how is squad is coming together ahead of the new season in recent displays. He added: “Yeah, I think if you asked me that question four weeks ago where we would be and where we are now, I think you have to give loads of credit to the lads because they have taken the information on, they’re trying to play the right way, they’re trying to do things positive, it was a real positive performance today against a so called team that will be right up there this season. Whelan has been delighted on the performances by Tyrese Sinclair since arrival after scoring at Brechin last Tuesday and securing a man of the match against Partick Thistle. Whelan said: “Yeah, no definitely Tyrese, front three with [Stevie] May and Robbie [Muirhead] have been excellent for me since they have come in, Robbie [Muirhead] has carried a lot of the minutes because we have a lot of injuries in the attacking third, that we are still probably very lightened in that department and we have lost Lewis Smith in the last couple weeks so, yeah, no the lads have put in a right shift and obviously the goal the three of them created today was unbelievable going forward, so, yeah it’s all positive in that front and hopefully we will get another few in.

July 19, 2026

Budinauckas Shines in Shootout as Thistle Take Bonus Point at Livingston

Lewis Budinauckas saved three penalties for Partick Thistle who claimed the bonus point and remained top of Group E following a 1-1 draw with Livingston at The Home Of The Set Fare Arena on Saturday afternoon. Livingston took the lead in the 60th minute through Robbie Muirhead before Alex Samuel leveled the game for Thistle in the 80th minute. The first chance of the afternoon fell to the hosts in the opening few minutes, Stevie May won a free kick on the edge of the box after a good ball was played over the top by Robbie Muirhead. Summer signing Tyrese Sinclair would send in a low cross with Lewis Budinauckas in the Thistle goal comfortably gathering. From then onward the game seen very little quality from either side, despite Livingston having the better of the possession and looking a threat going forward. On the 25th minute, Robbie Muirhead forced the Thistle backline into losing the ball in a dangerous area, Muirhead picked out Cristian Montano who struck a powerful ball towards goal from range with a last ditch block clearing the ball away from danger. On the stroke of half time, Sam Culbert, Montano, May and Muirhead all combined excellently in the final third for Livingston before teeing up Stevie May who made a darting run into the box, but his effort was poor with Budinauckas collecting without any worry as the sides went into the interval level. Thistle had struggled to maintain the ball throughout the first 45 as Daniel O’Reilly came on to replace Lee Ashcroft for the second period. Livingston started the second half on the front foot and were inches away from netting a first goal of the afternoon in the 50th minute when Culbert fired a volley narrowly wide of goal. Moments afterwards, Montano latched onto another ball over the top as he met the out-rushing Budinauckas, who made himself big before Montano failed in an attempt to chip the ball over the Thistle goalkeeper. After sustained pressure from Livingston, they eventually opened the scoring on the hour mark. Tyrese Sinclair did well to win the ball back in the middle of the park before finding Muirhead who found the top corner with a brilliant strike from 25 yards out to put his side ahead. The visitors were still struggling to create any clear cut chances which forced them to make a triple attacking change after going behind, with Tsoanelo Letsosa, Seb Drozd and Alex Samuel all entering the field of play. Mark Wilson’s changes sparked a response from Thistle as they were level in the 80th minute, Oisin Smyth’s initial effort from a tight angle was pushed away by Jerome Prior before the rebound fell to the feet of Alex Samuel who reacted quickest to fire the ball high into the net and beyond Prior to bring his side on level terms. As the game entered the final ten minutes, both teams were unable to find a winner as the match went to a penalty shootout to determine who was awarded the bonus point. Lewis Budinauckas was the hero for Partick Thistle in the shootout, saving three penalties in a 3-2 victory. Next up for Livingston in the Premier Sports Cup is Forfar Athletic at home on Tuesday evening, whilst Partick Thistle face Stenhousemuir at Firhill the same evening.

July 18, 2026

Arfield “grateful for experience” as interim Livi spell ends

Scott Arfield insists he still has a strong appetite to play at 37, and believes crucial changes are required if Livingston is to make an immediate return to the Scottish Premiership. Arfield led Livingston for their final three matches on an interim basis. Sunday’s thumping defeat to Kilmarnock brought the curtain down on a difficult season for the Lions. Speaking at full-time, the interim coach praised their opponents and offered a ruthless summary of the changes needed at The Home of the Set Fare Arena this summer. “Kilmarnock were really good, moving the ball with complete and utter fluidity and flexibility. We got a good goal, we were brilliant for 20 minutes, causing problems. “[The club is] in a period of large transition. The biggest thing is [the board] needs to get it right. They need to, because the Championship is a tough league to get out of. “This needs to kick on in the next two or three weeks. Get ready for pre-season and the Cup competitions, and hit the ground running to get the calibre of player through these doors to get the club back to the top division. “It’s not always in a playing capacity. It’s behind the scenes. It’s the personalities within a club that make a difference when the going gets tough. “Of course, you want to play amazing football with good football players, but the actual desire and the hunger to make a difference sometimes far exceeds the actual technicality of a football player.” Speaking on his own future, Arfield was upbeat on his experience as interim coach, and will regroup after his 20th season in professional football. “I don’t actually know. I’ve no idea. I just wanted to get to this stage in the season, to get to this today and then reassess the options in the summer. If it is here, then obviously I’ll do my best to get the club back up. If it isn’t, then I’m very grateful for the experience, both as a player and in this interim role.”

May 18, 2026

Livingston 1-4 Kilmarnock: Classy Killie Dismantle Hosts to end Season on a High

Livingston 1-4 Kilmarnock May (19′) Hugill (24′, 58′) Clescenco (34′) Curtis (53′) Neil McCann’s Kilmarnock delivered a dominant four-goal display, as Livingston’s dismal season ended on another low at The Home of the Set Fare Arena. The visitors, fresh from their survival securing victory over Dundee, started brightly, keen to end the season on another high. But despite dominating possession in the opening 10 minutes, Robbie Muirhead’s header came the closest to breaking the deadlock. Michael Schjonning-Larsen made space in the box on the 15-minute mark, but after dropping the shoulder, his left-footed strike veered high of Jerome Prior’s net. The hosts looked determined to give their fans one last cheer in a testing season. They found the elusive first goal courtesy of Stevie May in the 20th minute. McKay was instrumental, laying off May to fire a low strike past the rooted Max Stryjek in the penalty box. Kilmarnock probed for an immediate equaliser, responding well to the setback. Nicky Clescenco found an advanced position on Killie’s left, swinging a low cross for Joe Hugill to roll home. Both sides had little to play for, but had started the match at an entertaining pace. Clescenco doubled the lead with ten to play in the first half. After dispossessing Livi on the attack, a flowing counterattack was powered home by the winger in the six-yard box. The visitors were enjoying wave after wave of attack as the half came to a close. Neil McCann deserves a heap of credit for reenergising a broken Kilmarnock side, who looked well on their way to capturing a fourth straight league victory. Killie continued with confidence in the second half, looking to add gloss to the scoreline. A last gasp Cammy Kerr challenge denied the visiting attack after a strong run from Hugill down the Livi right. Scotland starlet Findlay Curtis added a third minutes later. Clescenco evaded the Livingston defence with brilliant skill before releasing Dom Thompson into space. His low cross was sidefooted home by Curtis, putting clear daylight between the sides. Hugill rolled home his second goal on the hour mark after a simple through ball; the visitors were really starting to enjoy themselves. The hosts continued to show fight off the bench, Sam Culbert’s effort sailed narrowly over Max Stryjek’s goal with 15 to play. The Polish goalkeeper then pulled off almost identical saves to deny May and Culbert as the clock crept closer to 90. The full-time whistle brought down the curtain on a difficult season for the hosts, but for Kilmarnock, it was the perfect way to close out an impressive post-split run. Livingston: Prior 6 Kerr 6 Kabongolo 6 Wilson 6 Smith 5 Montano 5 Tait 5 Danso 5 May 6 Muirhead 5 McKay 5 Substitutes: Nouble 5 Denholm 5 Zimmerman 5 Culbert 5 Fati 4 Kilmarnock: Stryjek 8 Thompson 7 Deas 7 Stanger 7 Schjonning-Larsen 7 Tshibola 8 Lowery 7 Kiltie 9 Clescenco 9 Hugill 9 Curtis 9 Substitutes: Lyons 6 Thomson 5 Brown 5 Watson 5 Bowie 4 Attendance: 3038

May 17, 2026

Arfield takes interim post for remaining Livingston matches

Scott Arfield will be banking on experience after being appointed interim player-manager at Livingston, as The Lions look to end the season on a high despite relegation being confirmed. Saturday’s trip to Dundee will be Arfield’s first in the dugout, and he is under no illusion about the challenges that managerial posts can pose. “I was probably the most experienced within this group, hence the reason why I’m in this role.” “I’ve spoken to a lot of people that have done it and I understand how difficult it is, so we’ll see tomorrow how difficult it is,” Speaking with the media on Friday, the former Rangers midfielder was coy on any long-term managerial plans. “If I get a wee bit of grey hair then I’m not interested but if it’s three wins, we’ve only had two wins all season, you never know, you never know. “I don’t think you’re ever sure if you want to be in this position until you’re thrown in. I’m actually quite happy being thrown in at the deep end, I have been throughout my career at certain times and you either sink or you swim. “I wouldn’t throw my name in. They might throw my name in but I wouldn’t throw my name in. I still feel as if I’ve got a lot to give as a player. Arfield played under a player-manager setup in his early days at Falkirk, and recalled the difficulties the role can bring. “I remember when I was first coming through at Falkirk and Brian Rice was assistant to John Hughes, who was playing. John was the manager and I used to laugh when he was subbed off. “You’re completely fixated when you’re playing, you’re the manager but I think somebody has to make decisions because you can’t see it, you’re fixated in the game, people can see it from a vantage point so I think that’s a real difficult thing to do. “John Hughes didn’t take it very well, as you can imagine. The two of them started arguing and I had tears under my eyes, I thought it was hilarious.” With 760 career appearances, it is clear why the Livingston hierarchy turned to the Canadian for the remaining games.

May 8, 2026

Marvin Bartley departs already relegated Livingston.

Marvin Bartley has departed Livingston as he feels he had ‘no option’ following relegation to the Championship. Bartley took the manager role at the start of the year after moving from the assistant to manager as former boss, David Martindale stepped down to take up a role as sporting director. Livingston announced their relegation from the Scottish Premiership as results on Saturday didn’t go their way with Kilmarnock cruising to a 3-0 win over Dundee United which now see’s Scott Arfield take charge for the final three fixtures for Livingston. Bartley after speaking on X: “Ultimately, this decision comes following a conversation on Monday where the position that had previously been outlined to us changed considerably. “Following the Motherwell game on 31 January, I was asked to take on the role and initially declined given the circumstances at the time. “After further conversations, I agreed to do so based on assurances around stability and the opportunity to lead the club into next season should relegation happen. “For that reason, it came as a major surprise to later be informed that Neil and I would need to reapply for our positions as part of a new process being introduced by the club. “We don’t feel that the situation we agreed to take on, and the one now being presented, are the same. As a result, we feel stepping away is the right direction for us both.” Martindale who was in charge for the first-half of the campaign in which joined the club back in 2014 and took the manager role six-years-ago, guided Livingston to the top-flight after defeating Partick Thistle in the play-offs back in 2018. Livi spent six- years in the top division before returning to the Championship where they’d find themselves return on the first time of asking, defeating Ross County in the play-offs to return to the Premiership. This campaign hasn’t went as planned with so far, just two wins all season which saw a win over Falkirk on matchday two with most recently, a 2-0 away win against St Mirren. Bartley has been in charge for 11 games which of course picked up the second win of the season for the Lothian side, defeating St Mirren 2-0 in Paisley with his last game in charge being their Friday night showdown, drawing 2-2 with Aberdeen and despite the point, they were still relegated with relegation rivals, Kilmarnock picking up three points. Bartley looks onwards in his career after a slight improvement in performances. “We took over a group that was in an extremely difficult position with a short period of time to try and turn things around,” he added. “While results ultimately haven’t been enough to keep the club in the division, we believe there were clear improvements in performances, competitiveness and spirit across the 11 games.”

May 7, 2026

Bartley hopes for “the beginning of a miracle” as Livingston break winless run

Livingston’s first league win in 259 days was a welcome result for manager Marvin Bartley, who praised his side’s positive attitude despite their perilous situation. Defeat for Kilmarnock at Pittodrie edged The Lions nine points behind their closest rivals. Survival may be a long shot, but Bartley hopes this can be “the beginning of a miracle”. “It’s one game at a time. We need to produce our best at both ends of the pitch, and the players have managed to do that today. “The players have given me everything every day, it’s not just about the match on a Saturday. The wins have run away from us, but hopefully this win can give them a lift and belief as well. Scott Pittman’s strike, coupled with Alex Gogic’s own goal, ended a 31-match winless run against St Mirren. Bartley hopes his team can use victory as a platform for the remaining matches. “We have to grow in belief, when you’ve been on the run we’ve been on it’s difficult mentally. We also have to keep our feet grounded. We’re still bottom of the league. But all we can do is train well and prepare for Aberdeen. “It’s not about me. I come in to work, work as hard as I can, preparing the players as best as I can, and hope they produce on a Saturday. “I’ve never seen them down in the dumps, because they know they have to work hard. It’s a constant for them. They don’t get too high or low. “It’s a fantastic feeling at this moment in time. It’s only our third clean sheet of the season. I have to give a massive shout-out to Neil Hastings, because they saw what was happening in the first half, articulated what was happening, and the players took it up a notch.” Livingston return to action against Aberdeen next Friday before travelling to Dundee eight days later.

April 26, 2026

“I was proud of them” – Marvin Bartley

Marvin Bartley’s Livingston side held Hearts to an enthralling 2-2 draw in Livingston, despite going behind in the second half. Derek McInnes and 7,000 Hearts fans travelled to Livingston in hope to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. However, bottom of the table Livingston held the table toppers to a draw, in what was a massive blow for Hearts in their chase for the Scottish Premiership. Hearts took the lead early in the second half, courtesy of Claudio Braga. After himself and Lawrence Shankland combined to put Hearts ahead. And it looked like Hearts would then find comfort and potentially extend their lead. But Lewis Smith had other ideas, as he found an equaliser for the hosts in the 58th minute. Livingston showed fantastic belief and character throughout the match and were rewarded with a well-deserved point. They could have even won all three points in the closing stages. When Robbie Muirhead was found through on goal, before being cynically fouled by Marc Leonard, resulting in a red card after a VAR check. After the strong performance, Marvin Bartley said: “I was proud of them, because it’s very easy when you’ve got 7,000 Hearts supporters, you’re 2-1 down and bottom of the league to feel sorry for yourself. But they went the other way. “I was really pleased with the way that they did play today. I thought Rangers here as well, we did extremely well. And in parts again, away to Celtic. “This team will keep on fighting. We take every game in isolation, because if you start looking at the league table at 2-1 down, you probably don’t get the reaction that they did give you. “Hearts fans probably came here today and thought it was going to be an easy game. But we came back into the game, and we were pushing for a winner at the end.” An unfortunate season for Livingston. However, since the introduction of Bartley, there has been strong performances in recent times against the top three. It demonstrates that Bartley and his side will not stop pushing until its mathematically over.

April 6, 2026