Chris Erskine has revealed he has joined Livingston after deciding he had been left "without a future" at Partick Thistle.

The Firhill favourite has racked up more than 200 appearances over two spells with the Jags.

But he has started just twice under new boss Gary Caldwell, with the club denying they were "forcing" the 31-year-old out of the club earlier this month after giving an unnamed Ladbrokes Championship club permission to open talks.

Top-flight Livingston have now won the race for his signature but Erskine admits he is leaving Maryhill with a heavy heart.

The former Auchinleck Talbot and Dundee United forward was part of the side which helped Thistle win promotion to the Premiership in 2013 but has been unable to prevent Jags sinking to the bottom of the Championship table this term following last season's demotion from the top tier.

Erskine posted on Twitter: "Thistle has been my life for the best part of the last 10 years and I can't thank everyone enough for what they have done for me.

"The last 18 months has been tough and I'm sorry to be leaving at a point where the club is in the position it is but the situation I've found myself in the last few months has left me without a future here.

"I think the squad of players are more than good enough to get out of the situation they're in and I'm sure with the backing of the fans the club will start moving back up the table.

"I hope I don't need to say how much I love the club and how privileged I've been to play here for so long and I hope me leaving doesn't ruin how I'm thought of.

"Partick Thistle will always by my team no matter what."

However, Livi boss Gary Holt admits he is delighted to have secured Erskine's services for a small fee.

He told his club's website: "Davie (Martindale, assistant manager) and I became aware of the availability of Chris early last week, and to be honest he's a player we've both really liked over the years.

"Chris can play anywhere offensively across a variety of shapes, and this versatility along with Chris' football ability pushed us to chat to Partick Thistle and try to get a deal done.

"The transfer is a nominal fee and we'd like to thank Thistle for the professional manner in which they dealt with the matter.

"Chris brings a lot of experience to the team and knows the Premiership very well. He's exactly the type of player we were looking to add to the squad.

"He's a creative player who works extremely hard for the team, scores goals and brings others into the game. He'll be a great addition to our squad and we really look forward to working with him.

"We're still looking at a couple of targets which will help us hopefully as a club kick on for the remainder of the season."