Byrne is aiming to consolidate Livi’s ‘fairytale’ Premiership status

Shaun Byrne wants Livingston to become an established Ladbrokes Premiership club following an impressive return to the top flight.

The West Lothian outfit sit comfortably in eighth place, 21 points ahead of bottom side St Mirren and seven behind sixth-placed Hibernian, who visit tonight.

Midfielder Byrne, pictured, who joined Livi from Dunfermline in 2016 when they were a League 1 side, is looking for the Lions to build on what they have achieved so far.

The 25-year-old said : “It has been a good season so far but we want to end the season strong. We want to hopefully take that into next season.

“We want to consolidate and be a Premiership club for every season, like teams like St Johnstone, who are always thereabouts, top-six, staying up.

“We want to be an established Premiership club, that would be a target for us.

“I signed when we were in League 1 and it has been a fairytale to be honest.

“But we have deserved to get to where we are and it has been great. You want to play at the highest level you can and test yourself against the top players and that’s what you get in the Premiership, playing against Rangers and Celtic and teams like that, so it’s been good.” Livingston have taken four points from six against Hibs this season and Byrne is looking for more success against the Leith side. He said: “We have done well but they obviously have a lot of talented players.

“We beat them here and got a good draw at Easter Road so it would be good to get another win on Friday.

“It is a television game, a lot of people watching, so it is a chance for all the boys to go and show how good we are and how good we are as a team as well.”