Subsequently the "Livingston 5" consortium has now assumed full control of the club.

McDougall has been confirmed as the club's new chairman with Nixon now in the post of chief executive.

However, the shock relegation means Livingston's new owners face an extremely tough challenge ahead. But there's no doubting the commitment of the new men at the helm.

McDougall and Rankine stumped up a £720,000 bond to the SFL to ensure the club would be secure for at least the next year, although that wasn't enough to stop Livi's relegation.

They have already said that in the wake of their demotion to Division Three they share everyone's frustration at having not played their opening fixture. That suggests there might be a Livi team in place to face Montrose at home this weekend.

However,the new chiefs can only dream of fielding established top flights professionals like Marvin Andrews and David Fernandez.

It's all a far cry from when Livingston first formed. Originally founded in 1943 as Ferranti Thistle the club was renamed Meadowbank Thistle in 1974.

But in 1995 there was another name change when it became Livingston and relocated to the town just outside Edinburgh.

Livi enjoyed significant success by winning promotion to the Scottish Premier League in 2001, qualifying for the UEFA Cup and then winning the League Cup in 2004.

Let's hope the new owners can rediscover some of the old Livingston magic to help them climb all the way back up the leagues to the top flight.