Livingston boss David Martindale has paid tribute to the club’s former chairman Bill Hunter.
Hunter, who passed away earlier this month, was responsible for bringing professional football to the town when, as owner of financially struggling Meadowbank Thistle, he moved the club from Edinburgh to Livingston.
A new stadium was built to accommodate the move with the club’s name changing to Livingston FC.
While Hunter was chairman for just three years following the move to West Lothian, he set the club on a path that would lead to them reaching the Scottish Premiership, achieving European football and winning the League Cup all within nine years.
Players, staff and spectators paid their respects to Hunter prior to Livi’s home Premiership fixture with Dundee United with a minute’s applause.
Martindale said the people of Livingston and West Lothian have a lot to be grateful to Hunter for and speaking to the Courier, he recalled one of the few times in which they met.
He said: “I didn’t know Bill very well but we met maybe two or three times.
“The first time I met him it was during our League One season a few years ago and I was out setting out the cones for the warm-up and somebody shouted me from the side.
“He said ‘come over son’ so I went over and he said ‘you’re doing a great job at this club’ and I just went ‘thanks very much, I appreciate that.’
“It wasn’t until we chatted a wee bit more that I knew it was actually Bill. Someone had put a ticket aside for him and he wanted to pay it back. He tried to give me £20 for the ticket while I was getting the warm-up ready.”
He added: “He made a point of shouting over to me and having a conversation and spending that time with me.
“I took a lot from that and it meant a lot to me that he’d do that. That was one of only a few interactions I had with him.”
The move from the capital to West Lothian was controversial in the eyes of many at the time but 28 years later, the Lions are still roaring with Martindale adding: “There wouldn’t be a Livingston Football Club if it wasn’t for Bill.
“He brought a professional football club to the town and to West Lothian and he deserves a lot of kudos and respect for that.”
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