Livingston’s drop into the Championship arrived with a ten‑point gap to 11th‑placed Kilmarnock, echoing the deficit that doomed them last season. Their 20 points sit just below Dundee’s 21‑point low from 2018‑19, so even winning the final three matches would still produce a record‑low total. A 3‑1 opening win over Falkirk proved fleeting; the club did not win again until late April.

Streaks of narrow defeats defined their season: three losses came in stoppage time before the October 4‑0 drubbing by Hibernian, and the pattern repeated later. Nineteen defeats overall included fourteen draws, with half lost by a single goal. A 6‑2 loss at Aberdeen marked the worst margin, underscoring defensive frailties that left them conceding a league‑high 68 goals.

Managerial turmoil added to the woes. After six years, David Martindale moved to sporting director on the day a 6‑2 loss arrived, with Steven Bartley inheriting a side that had earned just one win, six draws and four defeats under his interim spell. Veteran goalkeeper Jerome Prior kept many games alive, but the lack of signings left the squad unable to bridge the quality gap.