Bartley reveals Livingston players’ shock following Holt exit
Marvin Bartley admits the Livingston players were as shocked as anyone over Gary Holt's departure.
But the Livi captain has told his team- mates they have to move on quickly and not dwell on the reasons why he left.
Holt stepped down on Thursday after a f ive - match run without a league win, having admitted the players might need a fresh voice in the wake of Saturday's home defeat by St Mirren.
But Livi, under caretaker boss David Martindale, can reach the Betfred Cup quarter- finals today if they beat Ayr at the Tony Macaroni Arena and that is the main focus for Bartley.
"Obviously the lads saw the gaffer's press conference after the game on Saturday but even after that there's an element of shock," he said.
"We didn't expect the interview on Saturday. It had all been perfectly normal. We were as shocked as you guys in the press when he said those things on Saturday, and now he's gone.
"As harsh as it sounds, football goes on. I have been in football a long, long time and I know it's a results business. The gaffer did so well last season but obviously he felt he couldn't take us forward any more.
"It does sound ruth less because I am saying we have to continue, but we do. There's no time for us to be upset about it or to question ourselves and why he's gone. The gaffer has made a decision to go and we have to respect that. Now as players we need to get a result on Saturday. If we go into the game thinking about all these things, we can't control that, so there's no point.”