A light-hearted Twitter poll for fans to decide whether Scottish Premiership side Livingston should give their third-choice goalkeeper a new contract has ended up providing a welcome windfall for charity.
With a regular job at a civil engineering company, and the COVID-19 pandemic making it a difficult time for clubs, 37-year-old part-timer Gary Maley had offered to stand down so his salary could pay for a younger player.
The club, who have about 1,000 season-ticket holders and a 9,512 capacity at their Tony Macaroni Arena — known as the “Spaghettihad” — decided instead to “put it in the hands of fans” on whether to offer “Stretch” a contract extension.
“Stay or go — you decide,” the poll declared.
Livingston assistant manager David Martindale, best man at the goalkeeper’s wedding, joined in by promising ￡1 to charity for every vote — not a great move in retrospect with 194,544 cast by the close on Wednesday.
“We were expecting maybe 500 votes,” Livingston supporter liaison officer Derek White said. “We don’t have the biggest fan base in the world.”
With 70.4 percent voting “yes” for a new contract, the goalkeeper signed a one-year extension and said that he would donate his first two months’ pay to the John O’Byrne foundation for sick children.
Martindale agreed to match that.
“Delighted to help,” Maley said, adding that his Twitter feed had “gone mental,” with some unaware of the true situation and outraged at a club apparently treating a player in such a manner.
“He’s been offered legal advice if he wants it, but it was never, ever serious,” White said. “It actually stemmed from Gary trying to donate his wages to a younger player to ensure that we could keep the younger players on. It was always done for a good cause.”
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