Bartley felt 'no option' but to resign as Livingston boss

Head coach Marvin Bartley says he and assistant Neil Hastings felt they "had no option but to resign" from Livingston after being asked to reapply for their positions with the relegated club.

The 39-year-old former Hibernian, Livingston and Bournemouth midfielder took charge in January, stepping up from the assistant's role once David Martindale moved into a sporting director position.

But, after relegation was confirmed on Saturday, Livingston have announced that veteran midfielder Scott Arfield will head up an interim management team for the three remaining top-flight matches.

Bartley said 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."

Club owner Calvin Ford later issued a statement, saying he plans to develop an "executive football committee" for significant decision-making, adding that "the right leader will guide our play in an aggressive, attacking style, and help promote us back to the Premiership where we rightly belong."

Livingston started the season under Martindale, who has been at the club since 2014 and became manager six years ago, leading them back to the Premiership at the first time of asking through the play-offs following relegation two seasons ago.

However, this season they went on a 33-game run without a victory, with 31 in the league being a record in the Scottish top flight.

Bartley was in charge for the latest 11 games and did lead his side to a 2-0 win at St Mirren two weeks ago, but despite Friday's 2-2 draw with Aberdeen, their fate was sealed when second-bottom Kilmarnock beat Dundee United the following day.

The former Queen of the South manager moves on with a record of one win, six draws and four defeats.

"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."