Livingston boss David Martindale has detailed his delight at promoting Neil Hastings to be his new assistant boss at the Tony Macaroni Stadium - with Hearts legend Christophe Berra joining the coaching staff in a return to the Scottish Premiership.
Marvin Bartley, who became assistant-player at Livingston at the start of last season, joined Queen of the South for his first managerial job on Saturday. A year at the helm under Martindale saw the Lions finish seventh with his expertise. The new season had seen Livingston impress further under the duo; sitting fifth in the table, and as a result Livi are just four points behind third-placed Hearts with European football looking to be on the table. Success usually sees managers linked with other clubs, though Bartley impressed enough to be given the Queen of the South job last week.
Livingston were left with vacancies in their backroom as a result. A return to the Scottish Premiership for Berra, who after retiring from football in the summer at Raith Rovers, has joined Livi from the Kirkcaldy side and he will be afforded the chance to work under Martindale in their bid for European football.
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Bartley's departure to Dumfries has been resolved this week with the appointment of Hastings as Martindale's right-hand man - and the Livingston boss could not hide his delight.
“I'm delighted to announce that Neil Hastings has agreed to become the new assistant manager at Livingston Football Club following the departure of Marvin Bartley to Queen of the South," Martindale said.
“It was one year ago that Neil joined the backroom staff at Livingston as a first-team coach and he has proved to be a huge asset for the team and resultantly, I felt it was important to reward him with the position of assistant manager. It's certainly a step up in terms of responsibility but one that I have no doubt Neil will take in his stride.
“I’m also pleased to announce that Christophe Berra will come in and fill the first-team coaching role that Neil will leave behind by stepping up. Christophe was a highly respected footballer and I believe he will become a hugely important member of my backroom team. He brings a wealth of experience as a professional footballer at the top level having had a top career as a defender.
“Christophe will bring a huge amount of that experience into the club giving what he’s done and where he’s been over that playing career, albeit, he is in the early stages of his coaching career. I'm looking forward to getting him on the training field and working alongside him.”
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