The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Eight clubs quit juniors to join East of Scotland League set-up
The Scottish Junior Football Association East Region has been dealt a major blow with eight more clubs leaving the structure for the East of Scotland League.
The EOSL has risen from a position of peril four years ago to become the dominant force south of the Tay, with a number of outfits quitting the junior scene for a shot at climbing the SPFL pyramid structure.
Clubs making the switch once football is up and running again are Perthshire side Luncarty, along with Fife out fits thornton hibs, ken no way Star Hearts, Lochore Welfare, Rosyth, Newburgh, Lochgelly Albert and Kirkcaldy and Dysart.
The sole remaining Fife club playing junior football when the next season gets under way will be threetime Scottish Cup winners Tayport.
The news was revealed at Thursday’s extraordinary general meeting of the East of Scotland League, held over video conferencing.
A spokesman for the SJFA East Region said: “We are disappointed that for the third year running the East of Scotland League have effectively cherry-picked the clubs that they want and have left us in a difficult position.
“This leaves us with a region that is very much split – 17 clubs in Tayside and 13 in the West Lothian area.
“However, we have a responsibility and loyalty to the clubs that remain and a belief that the league structure, that is still under discussion, will provide an exciting and competitive product for all the clubs, supporters and sponsors and create a vibrant East Region.
“However, we are also conscious of the fact that the date for a return for football is going further and further back and there is a very real likelihood that we won’t see football in Scotland outside of the SPFL this year and we are already looking at contingencies for that.
“It is a widely held belief that the clubs have left to play in a higher level but in reality they have just taken a place on a pathway that leads to a higher level.”
East of Scotland League secretary David Baxter confirmed that the clubs had been accepted, and other than Tayport, all of the Fife clubs will be members of the East of Scotland League.
Baxter also said that the make-up of the conferences below the Premier League was still very much up for discussion and all options were being considered in the current climate and were being reassessed almost on a daily basis.
It was also confirmed that Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts look likely to be promoted to the Premier Division.
The Fife outfit finished second in Conference B but had a better points per game figure than Leith Athletic, who also finished second, in Conference A.
Providing Bo’ness United are promoted to the Lowland League, Swifts join Tynecastle and Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in going up to the top flight and once the season eventually starts will take on the likes of Hill of Beath Hawthorn and Crossgates Primrose in an 18-team division.
Four teams will be relegated, with the conference winners being promoted to return the top flight to 16 teams.
The EOSL Lowland League title this season has been awarded to Kelty Hearts, who are waiting to find out whether they will be admitted to the SPFL League 2 via league reconstruction.