Cupcompetition is the blueprint for future system

WE witnessed the ABC of Scottish Cup romance at the weekend.

Auchinleck, Banks O’Dee and Clydebank dumping out SPFL opposition to reach the fourth round of the country’s premier cup competition was fairytale stuff – but further proof that the pyramid system is anything but idyllic.

In fact you can make it the ABCD of cup conquests if Darvel complete the job on Brechin in Saturday’s replay.

Add in Lowland League East Kilbride and you have a situation where there are five non-league sides in the last 32.

Which begs the question – why does getting even just one into ‘the 42’ every summer have to be such a convoluted process?

The bottleneck underneath the bottom place in the SPFL is in danger of bursting with the number of clubs desperate to add a freshness to the league.

Just like Kelty Hearts and Cove Rangers have done since navigating the complex play-off process that means they have to win their league AND a two-legged play-off between the Highland and Lowland champions before then doing so against the worst team in the SPFL.

Talk about weighted in favour of the SPFL’s worst side. Where the Scottish Cup opens its doors to fairytales and good old-fashioned giant-killings, the SPFL remains too close to a closed shop.

The celebratory images from Holm Park where Bankies bumped Clyde, Beechwood where Championship Hamilton were slain by Talbot and Spain Park where East Fife fell to Banks O’Dee have only brought the pyramid’s flaws back into sharp focus.

Yes, these one-off shots at glory are easier to navigate than a season-long slog of trips to Elgin and Forfar.

But the argument the SPFL doesn’t need any more small clubs simply doesn’t stack up when you look at the potential and supporter base of Clydebank, Talbot and others including Bonnyrigg Rose, Pollok, Kilwinning, Fraserburgh and many more.

Are these clubs any more minnows than Elgin or Annan, both of whom have stepped up from the non-leagues in recent years?

The answer is no. It’s a level playing field just like the pyramid’s promotion and relegation system should be.

The SPFL ‘team 42’ deserves to take the

Why does getting just one into ‘the 42’ have to be convoluted process?

drop every summer. It’s nothing to fear as the few clubs who have done so – East Stirling, Berwick and most recently Brechin – will testify.

All three of them have reset, refreshed and re-evaluated in a bid to strengthen going forward.

In contrast the three sides who have gone up – Cove, Edinburgh and Kelty can hardly be accused of diminishing the league.

It’s time to bin the pyramid play-off and have an automatic promotion every year between the winner of a Highland League v Lowland League shoot-out.

After that Scottish football chiefs should look at ways of promoting both.