GALA Fairydean Rovers have avoided an effective ‘relegation’ from the fifth tier of Scottish football into the sixth tier after the SFA board decided to shelve plans to introduce a new Conference League.

Clubs were due to have voted on the plans at a meeting today but the resolution was withdrawn last night in order to carry out further consultation on the best player pathway for young Scottish players.

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A 10-team Conference League would have seen up to four B teams compete alongside several Lowland and Highland League teams.

Second-string teams from Celtic, Rangers and Hearts currently compete in the Lowland League but cannot get promoted and they would have remained in the Conference League under the plans, which emerged following the Deloitte review of the Scottish Professional Football League, which was commissioned by Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibernian and the Dundee clubs.

Border Telegraph: Action from Gala Fairydean Rovers v Rangers B at Netherdale. Photo Thomas Brown Action from Gala Fairydean Rovers v Rangers B at Netherdale. Photo Thomas Brown

The proposals were criticised for effectively relegating 200 clubs further down the pyramid and were hit by a double whammy last month when Aberdeen declared they would not be entering a team and Rangers manager Michael Beale expressed major reservations about the set-up.

Several clubs had spoken out against the plans in advance of the vote and the numbers began to stack up against the idea as the AGM approached.

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Gala Fairydean Rovers secretary Ron Fairburn said: “We have been supportive of the B teams in the Lowland League with our players up against some of the best talent in the country, bigger crowds and more national interest in the league.

“But the Conference League plan had many flaws, and we would have voted against it. We await with interest what is proposed in the future.”