Nixon pledges loyalty as clubs vote on Livi status

Aug 13 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

GED NIXON has insisted Livingston will survive — no matter what league they find themselves in this season.

The promise comes despite a backlash brewing from other SFL clubs, who gather to vote today (Thursday) on Livi’s league status, after the club refused to play its opening match of the new season, which kicked off on Saturday.

It had been hinted that the new consortium headed by major shareholder Nixon, Gordon McDougall and Neil Rankine, would walk away from the club if the SFL clubs voted to uphold their demotion to the Third Division.

But Nixon has moved to allay fans’ fears by telling the Courier they are committed to moving Livingston forward whatever league they find themselves in.

Nixon revealed: “We are staying on with the club regardless.

“There will be a football club here at Livingston whether it is First, Second or Third Division.”

The West Lothian club were left stunned last week when SFL bosses dramatically relegated them to the Third Division for breaching insolvency rules.

As a result, Airdrie United were moved up to the First Division to replace the Lions with Cowdenbeath moving up to the Second Division from the Third. The rearranged fixture list scheduled Livingston to play Third Division East Stirling at Ochilview on the opening day last Saturday but with their appeal pending the team opted not to fulfil the fixture.

However, Nixon reveals that they did offer to play Ross County in what would have been Livi’s scheduled First Division match instead.

But the no-show has sparked a backlash from other member clubs but Nixon reckons it broke league rules to ask them to play a Third Division match while their appeal is pending.

The appeal is due to be heard at Hampden today when all member clubs of the SFL cast their vote on Livingston’s fate.

But even if the vote goes against them, the club still have the option of appealing again.

Nixon added: “We offered to play the First Division fixture because going by the rules the minute you appeal the decision stands aside.

“The status quo prevails so you are deemed to have won your appeal until the vote goes against you and that is the rules.

“We are a First Division club until they vote against us and the whole situation has been handled very, very poorly.

“We felt that if we played the East Stirling fixture it would compromise our position.

“I don’t think we are in a position to play any football until this is all sorted out. These matters have to be brought to a head and they are not good for anyone.”

Nixon has also revealed the club would aim to continue as a full-time club even if their appeal fails and they are forced to play in the third tier of the Scottish game.

Nixon, who has been named as the club’s new Chief Executive, insisted: “Playing in the Third doesn’t scare any of us but our revenue would be hit as would jobs here at the club.

“We have done the maths and we believe we could have a full-time team in the Third Division although at a much lower cost-base than we have at the moment.

“We could do that and for the foreseeable we will remain a full-time club, whether that is in the Third or the First Division.”