Stenhousemuir appoint former Hibs and Livingston midfielder Marvin Bartley as new boss

Stenhousemuir have announced the appointment of Marvin Bartley as their new manager on a full-time contract.

The former Livingston head coach left the West Lothian club at the end of the season after their relegation from the Scottish Premiership.

He accused the Lions of reneging on an agreement which would have seen him manage them in the Scottish Championship.

Livingston have since appointed former Republic of Ireland international Glenn Whelan as manager.

Bartley will be joined at Ochilview by Neil Hastings, who becomes assistant manager.

After a playing career with clubs including Hibernian and Livingston, Bartley became the assistant boss to David Martindale at the Lions in 2021.

He departed Livingston in January 2023 to become the manager of Queen of the South but, after missing out on the promotion play-offs in League One, he left the Dumfries side in May 2024.

Bartley returned to Livingston and Martindale’s backroom team last season before taking on the reins in January after Martindale moved upstairs to a sporting director role.

The Warriors, who will be competing in the Scottish Championship next season, were looking for a successor to Gary Naysmith who has joined Ayr United.

Naysmith guided the club to League Two success in 2024 – ending their 140-year wait for a trophy.

He then secured promotion to the Scottish Championship this season after 3-2 aggregate victory over Alloa in the promotion play-offs – their first time playing in the second tier in the modern era.

Stenhousemuir have also confirmed captain Gregor Buchanan will take up a new role as player coach while continuing his playing duties.