+- Sports Babble - sports forum (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk)
+-- Forum: Football (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Scottish Football League (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=24)
+---- Forum: Scottish Championship (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=129)
+----- Forum: Livingston (https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=135)
+----- Thread: Welcome to Livingston (/showthread.php?tid=4885)
Welcome to Livingston - Devongone - 31-12-2016
Livingston was founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle, a works team, and admitted to the Scottish Football League, renamed as Meadowbank Thistle in 1974. It played at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh. In 1995, the club was relocated to Livingston, West Lothian and renamed again. Since then Livingston have played their home games at the Almondvale Stadium.
Livingston is the largest town in West Lothian. It was the fourth post-Second World War new town built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It lies about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow and has a population of around 56,000.
Following the move to Livingston the club enjoyed notable success, winning promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2001, qualifying for the UEFA Cup in its maiden season in the top flight (finishing third behind Celtic and Rangers) and winning the 2004 Scottish League Cup. However, the club hit financial problems in 2004, and was relegated to the Scottish First Division in 2006. In July 2009 financial problems took the club to the verge of liquidation before a deal was struck. Livingston were subsequently demoted to the Scottish Third Division.
The club managed to recover from this disaster to achieve consecutive promotions and regain its place in the second tier. Recently, however, at the close of the 2014–15 Championship season the club narrowly managed to avoid the relegation play-offs, finishing 8th, but in the following season defeat against Stranraer in the Championship play-off semis ensured relegation to League One.
In terms of honours achieved though, Livingston was the first club in Scotland to win all three divisions; Third Division 1995–96, Second Division 1998–99 and First Division 2000–01 when rising to the Scottish Premier League in 2001. It also won the Second Division in 2011-12 and the Challenge Cup in 2015.
Manager: David Hopkin
Ground: Almondvale Stadium (capacity 8,176)
Travel:
By road:
Livingston is accessible from the M8 motorway. The stadium is signposted around the town. Leave the M8 at Junction 3 and take the A899 towards Livingston. Leave this road at the large roundabout at the junction with the A71 (Bankton Road). Turn right onto the A71 and at the next island turn right into Alderstone Road (sign-posted Town Centre). Go straight across three roundabouts and then turn right at the second set of traffic lights and into the stadium approach road.
By train:
Two stations are in reach of the ground. Livingston North and Livingston South. The North station is served by trains from Glasgow Queens Street and Edinburgh, whilst the South Station is served by trains from Glasgow Central and Edinburgh. Both stations are around a 25-30 minute walk away from the ground.