Irish businessman Anthony McMullen has bought a 50% share in Livingston's parent company and vowed to make the club an SPL force.The property entrepreneur had expressed a tentative interest in crisis club Gretna after the Borderers fell into administration but has opted instead to invest in Livi, who stand seventh in the Irn-Bru First Division.

McMullen Properties now own half of Lionheart Group, who run Livingston.

And it also emerged that West Lothian business Ged Nixon has made a further investment in the Almondvale club, who were last in the top flight in 2006.

McMullen said: "My personal mantra is that you don't just buy a club, you build a club.

"I'm coming on board because I want to build Livingston into one of the top clubs in the SPL.

"To achieve this we need to ensure that the correct foundations are in place, and we shall be doing this both on and off the field."

Livi chairman Pearse Flynn said: "We are delighted to welcome Anthony McMullen and Ged Nixon on board at Livingston FC.

"We said late last year that we were interested in attracting new investment into Livingston, and today's announcement results directly from the search we began at that time.

"Anthony McMullen is one of the brightest young entrepreneurs to emerge in Ireland in recent years.

"He has creative and commercially-minded ideas about building on the revenue base of the business as a whole, with the aim not only of securing Livingston's future as a senior club, but also in restoring the club to the Scottish Premier League, and staying there."

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