Football Season Guide

Livingston

In


Alan Forrest (mid) Ayr United; Jack Fitzwater (def) West Bromwich Albion; Matej Poplatnik (att) Kerala Blasters; Robby McCrorie (gk) Rangers; Salim Kouider-Aïssa (att) Livingston; Max Stryjek (gk) Eastleigh; Ciaron Brown (def) Cardiff City.

Out


Ricki Lamie (def) Motherwell; Steven Lawless (mid) Burton Albion; Chris Erskine (mid) East Kilbride.

Livingston were one of the surprise packages last season, finishing 5th after a strong attacking display throughout the season. Enjoyed a good spell of form midway through the season, falling to only one defeat across December and January. Despite ultimately finishing in 5th, they were six points adrift of Aberdeen in the last European qualifying spot. Earned a justified reputation as a "confidence team" last campaign. They tended to go on long barren runs after a shock defeat, with two separate 3 match losing streaks in the first half of the campaign. Have strengthened substantially over close season with players arriving from a range of sources. Forrest and Kouider-Aïssa make the step up from the lower leagues while quality loanees arrive from Rangers and Cardiff City. But key departures in the form of Lawless and Lamie could cause problems in the spine of the side. Losing such experience could be devastating for the club. Fortunes may depend on whether new signings can fill the gaps. The club know they have the quality to push for Europe, but whether they will be able to get the better of the bigger teams around them remains to be seen.

Target


4th place. Any improvement on last season's impressive finish can only be seen as a bonus.