Daily Record

Show yourselves and then RESIGN

McInally slams SPFL group that let Bohemians put off quarter-final tie

- BY GAVIN BERRY

JIM McINALLY insists heads must roll at the SPFL’s competitio­ns working group after East Fife’s quarter-final against Bohemians was postponed indefinite­ly in the latest Irn-Bru Cup farce.

The last-eight tie was due to be played in Dublin on November 17 but has been put on hold due to the League of Ireland finishing this weekend.

That means the Dubliners won’t have a squad to choose from for the Challenge Cup tie and Peterhead gaffer McInally launched a scathing attack on tournament organisers.

The Blue Toon boss has been a fierce critic of the format that allows teams from England, Wales Northern Ireland and Ireland into the competitio­n.

There was a potential fixture fiasco before Peterhead played Bohemians in an earlier round with their second-round tie clashing with the Irish side’s FAI Cup clash with Derry City. It was played on its original date due to internatio­nal call-ups resulting in the Irish Cup tie being postponed.

The SPFL group is chaired by Morton’s Warren Hawke and includes chief executive Neil Doncaster, Celtic youth supremo Chris McCart, Rangers counterpar­t Craig Mulholland, Stenhousem­uir’s Iain McMenemy and Stranraer’s Iain Dougan.

McInally said: “You don’t think it can get any bigger a joke and then this happens. They should let themselves be known and resign.

“It’s is a bigger farce than the League Cup semi-finals but it was Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen and Hearts and the big clubs did something.

“The big clubs are involved in the Irn-Bru Cup with their colt teams so why don’t they get involved with this? My message to Doncaster and the competitio­ns working group would be to stop this madness. “If we were still in it and struggling to field a team we would be fined and kicked out. It’s beyond belief a team from another associatio­n can trample all over the cup and nothing is done.”

 ??  ?? CRITIC McInally says Bohemians, below, are getting special treatment
CRITIC McInally says Bohemians, below, are getting special treatment

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