David Martindale will stay at Livingston for as long as they want him

David Martindale stressed his loyalty to Livingston after the club knocked back an approach from St Johnstone.

Saints wanted talks with Martindale over their vacant manager’s position but Livingston denied permission for their boss, who recently revealed he was working without a contract.

“I don’t sign contracts, I shake hands,” he said.

“You don’t need a contract to honour what comes out your mouth. For me, whatever they say is what I’ll abide by. That’s my morals.

“I’m out of contract so I could have said ‘I want to go and speak to St Johnstone, there’s nothing you can do’ but we don’t have that kind of relationship.

“When the day comes that Livingston don’t want me here through success or failure, I’ll shake their hands and I’ll pick my car-keys up and away I’ll go.

“Nothing feels any different to what it felt on Monday morning. I don’t really get fazed by anything, I’m pretty easy-going.

“I’ve given Livingston my word that I’ll be at Livingston as long as they want me at Livingston.

“What I will say is I think St Johnstone is a fantastic club, I think it’s a great opportunity for someone, but I had no aspirations to go and speak to St Johnstone if Livingston wanted me to stay here.

“I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way because I think they’re a fantastic club but as soon as Livingston said to me ‘we want to keep you at the club’ it was done and I went downstairs to take training.”