Angelo Massone insists he is still the man to rescue Livingston, despite his refusal to walk away leaving the club on the brink of oblivion.

The controversial chairman failed to meet a noon deadline on Wednesday to accept a £25,000 offer for his controlling interest, following an ultimatum made earlier this week by interim manager Donald McGruther, of administrators Mazars, who was appointed by the Court of Session on Friday after West Lothian Council took legal action to reclaim a £330,000 debt.

Massone's refusal to budge led to some of the club's staff being made redundant, with McGruther set to meet the Scottish Football League's management committee at 2pm on Thursday to discuss liquidation.

Massone is confident that will not happen, insisting he has enough funds to pay players and staff their July wages.

"I proposed to pay immediately - to run the club and try to save the club - the player wages for July and the staff wages for July. The administrator didn't accept that," said Massone, whose consortium bought cash-strapped Livingston last summer from former owner Pearse Flynn for £1.

The Italian arrived at Almondvale on Wednesday shortly after the midday deadline and said before his meeting with McGruther: "If the people with all this negativity transform this into positivity, we can have the ability to save the club.

"I offer £300,000. If another businessman offers £300,000, we have £600,000. £600,000 is better than £300,000."

McGruther said: "Mr Massone is now talking about introducing money which was not available three weeks ago or I would not be here.

"Frankly, money is not the issue. Basically, the supporters will not support the club, the players will not play for it and the local authority that took this decision to put me in basically are not going to reverse their decision to let Mr Massone or anyone supported by him back into the stadium."