Sense of injustice lingers at Livi despite second title

Published on Sunday 10 April 2011 12:10

LIVINGSTON chairman Gordon McDougall reckons claiming back-to-back championships will never heal the feeling of injustice following the club's demotion from the First Division to the Third back in 2009.

Following the 3-0 defeat of Stenhousemuir at Ochilview, Livi were named Second Division champions as nearest challengers Brechin lost 3-1 at home to East Fife.

Now the Lions are back where they were when McDougall and chief executive Ged Nixon rescued the club following it being put into administration after the chaotic ownership of Angelo Massone.

Gary Bollan's team have won 46 league matches out of 67 in getting back to Scotland's second tier. Bollan said: "We are back to where I thought we would be when I started but with two championships behind us."

The Lions were relegated from the First to the Third Division in August 2009 for breaching league rules on insolvency. And McDougall, whose financial commitment to the club along with that of his fellow directors, was underlined last week when the club's latest accounts showed a 900,000 loss, said: "It doesn't make up for the double relegation. We'll never be able to put that to the back of our minds, it's just something that we feel shouldn't have happened.

"There has been a lot of pain in getting back up, financially it's been difficult. It's great we're champions in plenty of time. Next season is when the hard work really starts."

Goals from Keaghan Jacobs, Liam Fox and David Sinclair gave Livi the title.

Raffaele De Vita crossed from the right and Jacobs put the chance away on 35 minutes and Fox headed in the second goal just before the hour.

The bubbly was in the ice buckets when substitute Sinclair picked up a Robbie Winters cut back and made it 3-0 in the dying seconds.

Bollan added: "I am very proud of the team as it was a very professional performance. It was great to come here and win the title by playing so well. The players both this season and the last one have been great to work with. It is them that deserve great credit."