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NAME: City Stadium aka Almondvale Stadium
ADDRESS: Almondvale Stadium Road, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 7DN.
CAPACITY: Approx. 10,000.
CELTIC ALLOCATION: All of North and West Stands, as well as part of the East stand.
RECORD VICTORY: Livingston 0-5 Celtic, 1 October 2005
RECORD DEFEAT: Livingston 2-0 Celtic, 6 October 2019
DIRECTIONS
BY CAR: From Glasgow and the South West, take the M8 towards Edinburgh and get off at Junction 3. Take the A899 into Livingston and follow signs for the shopping centre (ignore the signs for the stadium, they’ll take you round the long way) From the North take the M9 round to Edinburgh and then the M8 to Junction 3. You could get off the M9 and take the straight road down to Bathgate, joining the M8 at junction 4, but its not the best of roads. From Edinburgh and the South East, follow the A71 at the City Bypass towards Kilmarnock, into Livingston and again follow signs for the shopping centre.
BY BUS: The X14 runs from Glasgow very infrequently. The 12, 16, 27 and 28 all run from Edinburgh to the shopping centre. Supporters buses might get parked in the stadium car park if you’re lucky, but will be charged a tenner to do so (source: Beachbhoy).
BY TRAIN: Glasgow Central to Livingston South or Edinburgh Waverley to Livingston North is the best you’ll manage, but they’re miles from the stadium so you’ll probably need to get a taxi after that.
PARKING: Park in the shopping centre. Its big enough and there isn’t a street near the stadium that they’ll let you park on anyway. The car park at the stadium is used for supporters buses only.
WHAT TO EXPECT
To be in a “New Town”. Roundabouts and all.
To be confused by the number of names this place has. The City Stadium appears to be the current official name, but it has also been sponsered a couple of times, but I’m going with the name of the road its on!
To take up most of the stadium. Two and a half stands to Livingston’s one stand (the other half is generally empty)
SAD TRIVIA
Livingston are still a fairly young team by any measure. Ferranti Thistle were formed as a works team in 1943 and played in the East of Scotland league in Edinburgh’s City Park (now home to Spartans – a team Livingston visited in the 2003/04 Scottish Cup). Ferranti Thistle caught the eye of many with good runs in the Scottish Cup in the mid-70s, and when league reconstruction from two divisions to three called for an extra team to be admitted to the league (to replace Third Lanark who had gone in 1967), Ferranti Thistle pipped Inverness Thistle to that place. Ferranti Thistle had to change their name to avoid sponsership issues in the league, and they took up the name of their new home at Meadowbank Stadium, becoming Meadowbank Thistle in 1974 in time for the last season of two division football. Meadowbank Thistle lasted until the next league reconstruction and in the first season of four division football they were relegated to the bottom division. At this point, Meadowbank Thistle moved out of Edinburgh in search of a crowd and despite considering moving to East Lothian they moved West instead, to Livingston and their current location.
Funnily enough, Livingston and Caley Thistle’s histories seems to be intertwined. From the first vote between Ferranti and Inverness Thistle, through to the league reconstruction where Inverness Caledonian merged with Inverness Thistle to form one team that joined the league, up through the divisions (including promotion to the first division together in 1998/99) to their current positions in Scotland’s top division. They are possibly two of the most interesting teams of recent seasons. And strictly speaking, they are two of five SPL teams never to have been relegated – Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen being the other three.
Despite the short history, Livingston have had an interesting time of it. Rising from the bottom division to the SPL, finishing 3rd in the SPL in their first season and going into Europe where they beat Sturm Graz at home in the UEFA Cup during the Seville season (though went out on aggregate), falling into administration… but possibly their best moment was winning the CIS Insurance Cup in 2003/04 to secure the first trophy win for a non-Old Firm team since Hearts won the Scottish Cup in 1997/98. Not bad for a team barely 10 years old!
Livingston have been seen by some as something of a smaller version of Celtic. Dominic Keane up until recently was chairman, Davie Hay was manager, and Celtic kept signing their best players including David Fernandez and Javier Sanchez Broto. This seems to have swung away since the team entered administration and Dominic Keane parted company with the club. In the last 12 months Marvin Andrews has gone to Rangers, and Richard Gough is now manager of the club.
TIM FRIENDLY PUBS
“There’s a Wetherspoons in the shopping centre. They say no football colours but its not enforced on a matchday.”
– Fudgie
“Witherspoons is decent but will be mobbed on a matchday, as will the wee pub at the top of the stadium.”
– please_remain_calm
“The Brewers Fayre on the hill next to the ground is usually not bad, but get there early if you want served. Oh and for some reason they don’t allow you to wear a hat in the establishment.”
– Owenybhoy
” From celticbars.com: Livingston – Tower Public House, The Mall (Tel: 01506 432610) (Livingston No1 CSC)”
– Leezo
“The Tower is on the other side of town, it is also in Craigshill so its life in your own hands stuff if you dare. Livingston #1 leaves from there but I dont know if the place is any more Celtic friendly than anywhere else.”
– please_remain_calm
“There is another pub at the opposite end of the shopping centre, The Paraffin Lamp, they wont let you in with football colours on though.”
– please_remain_calm
Any more???
PUBS TO AVOID
Anyone???