Reilly raringto goatLivi

Livingston new boy Gavin Reilly admits he has no regrets about turning down the club’s previous advances but he’s delighted to finally be at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Livi boss David Martindale revealed the club had tried to sign the 27-year-old striker in every transfer window for the past three years.

But Reilly (pictured above) was keen to try his luck in England and opted for a move to Bristol Rovers before also representing Cheltenham Town and Carlisle United before returning to Scotland a fortnight ago.

He said: “I’m grateful to him (Martindale) for giving me the opportunity to come here.

“He tried to sign me when I was at St Mirren but it fell through for one reason or another but I’m delighted he got it over the line this time and I’m happy to be here.

“He also tried to sign me the summer that I left St Mirren but Bristol Rovers came in so I decided to take that chance and I don’t regret that for any reason at all.”

He added: “He then tried to sign me when the Rovers manager resigned but I started playing regularly for them. However, I’m glad it’s finally done now.”

Reilly, who netted 22 goals as St Mirren pipped Livi to the Championship title in 2017/18, knows he’s joining a club in fine form - and he’s certainly not taking a starting place for granted.

The Lions have also played themselves into contention for the European places thanks to a fine run since the resignation of Gary Holt, but the striker isn’t looking that far ahead just yet.

He commented: “First and foremost, the club has done well just by getting into the top six so we want to secure that first.

“But we know that if we can tick off that milestone then the only thing to do is look up.

“We won’t get too far ahead of ourselves but there’s nothing to prevent us from achieving that.

“Will fifth place be enough to get into Europe? We’ll just need to wait and see what happens.”

Livingston have re-signed defender Jackson Longridge following his release from Bradford City.

The 25-year-old left-back was with the Lions for three seasons before departing for Dunfermline Athletic at the end of the 2017/18 season after Livi had sealed promotion to the Premiership.

Signed from Stranraer in the 2015 summer transfer window, Longridge made 122 appearances over his three years with the Lions, netting eight goals.

He has signed a two-and-a-half year deal and manager David Martindale admitted he was pleased to get the deal done.

Speaking to the club’s official website, he said:“I’m delighted to welcome Jacko back to the club where he played a massive part in our back-to-back promotions.

“I was disappointed to lose Jackson when we got promoted to the Premiership as I felt he could have played a big part at the club in the seasons to follow.

“He epitomises everything about what we look for in a player at Livingston.

“He trains every day like it’s his last and he gives you everything on the park and is a terrific team player.”