After a tricky start to the season, Livingston claimed the League One title at something of a canter, claiming the crown with four matches of the campaign remaining. It was not always a straightforward march to success for the Tony Macaroni Stadium side, however. The early weeks of the season were complicated by Alloa’s excellent run of form, while there was some concern that manager David Hopkin was unaware of his strongest side. Ultimately, though, the sheer quality and spending power that Livingston had at their disposal proved too much for their rivals, who faded badly as they lost manager Jack Ross to St Mirren. Livvy, meanwhile, would be prone to throwing in the odd shocker of a display but were largely impressive performers. Offensively, they had a terrific raft of firepower at their disposal, with Danny Mullen starting the season in superb form but Liam Buchanan proving his worth by breaking the record for goals in a season scored by a player from the club. The midfield was impressive, too, with Scott Pittman and impressive performer, but this was an area that struggled to settle as the manager changed shape so often. Livingston used a myriad of formations, starting the season in a 3-5-2 system before they were hampered by a long-term injury to right wing-back Michael Miller. This prompted something a wobble while Hopkin looked for another system and he would never really settle on anything before the end of the season. In an attempt to plug the defensive gaps in his side, he used four centre-backs across the defence in the middle part of the campaign before eventually settling with Sean Crichton on the right and Jackson Longridge on the left. It made for a physically robust defensive line, but there is a feeling that they will need to step up in that regard next term if they are to comfortably survive in the Championship. There is talent in the midfield and attack – enough to form a good basis to compete at that level – but they will need Hopkin to become more tactically astute and settle on his best team.
