LIVINGSTON boss David Martindale admits he's "choking" to take points off Rangers.

The Livi boss is adamant there's no split loyalties when his team face off against the Ibrox men.

Martindale has openly admitted to supporting Rangers as a boy.

And he took stick from rivals fans over the weekend for his comments on Scott Arfield and James Tavernier's goals against his men.

In an interview with Battle Fever podcast, which will air this week, he insists it's nonsense that he sets his team up to try harder against Celtic than Rangers.

In fact, he says he'd love nothing more than to register a win against Rangers.

He said: "(On Tavernier's goal) If anybody disagrees with what I'm saying, they're deluded. They're deluded.

"Rangers beat us last year and we took points off Celtic. Do you seriously think I can go into my changing room and say: 'Don't try today lads, I was a Rangers supporter when I was younger'?

"I've got six Celtic fans in there. Do you know what I mean? It doesn't happen. I want to beat Rangers as much as I want to beat Celtic. Saturday, how anybody can... 'Oh, his demeanour after the game...'

"My pals all send me the stuff. I don't want to see it, but it is quite funny sometimes. I don't go on Twitter looking for it but it gets sent to me and I'm like 'how tight was the game on Saturday?'.

"You still get Celtic fans saying 'he tries harder against Celtic'. Genuinely, and this is me being honest, probably too honest - I'm choking to take points off Rangers.

"It was one of my bugbears since we beat Rangers (at home) 1-0 and had a draw, I don't think we've done well against them, I don't think we have.

"And it's not from the fact I go into the changing room and tell the boys not to try as hard today because it's Rangers! I go out there every game no matter who it is, Rangers or Celtic, we want three points. We try our best to take points."