Livingston manager and ex-Rangers youth David Martindale has passed his fit and proper persons test from the SFA and he will be allowed to continue as manager at the Tony Macaroni.
The likeable Lions boss has done an extraordinary job since taking over from Gary Holt and has helped guide Livi to the League Cup Final and is still unbeaten in 11 games as full-time manager.
Livingston are now in fifth place in the Scottish Premiership and will be eyeing a European place.
Martindale’s extraordinary rise through the backroom team has been well documented, with the ex-prisoner working his way up through the club after starting as a volunteer.
His previous four-year prison sentence has been one major obstacle for Martindale to overcome and today there was relief as he was given the green light to coach in the Scottish top tier.
“I would like to go on record thanking everybody at the SFA, SPFL and more importantly, I’d like to thank every single person on social media, the fans, pundits and media, for their support,” said Martindale [Livingston].
“A big thank you also to Hannah Bardell MP, Angela Constance MSP and Professor Phil Scraton and I’m delighted that the SFA has given me a chance to progress my career with Livingston Football Club.”
The SFA also released a short statement detailing the decision as Martindale was passed as fit and proper to manage Livingston.
“The Scottish FA can confirm that following a scheduled meeting between a sub-committee of the Professional Game Board, the Livingston manager, David Martindale, and club officials pursuant to Article 10, it has accepted the representations from Livingston FC that Mr Martindale is a fit and proper person to be included in the club’s Official Return,” reads the statement [SFA].
Martindale, 46, spent time at Rangers and Motherwell as a youth player [BBC Scotland] and will now be able to make up for lost time after a promising early football career burned out due to crime.
Livingston will now look ahead to the League Cup Final against St. Johnstone on the 28th of February and the rest of the season in their charge for a European position.
Rangers’ match with Livingston, scheduled to be the same weekend as the Final, has since been postponed leaving the Ibrox club with a free weekend in a hectic calendar.
