HAWICK Royal Albert have become the fourth Borders club to be admitted to the Ferrari Packaging Scottish Lowland Football League.

Following a meeting on Monday evening, the Lowland League board decided on both the Albert and Civil Service Strollers being selected ahead of the 2016/17 season.

A full compliment of 16 teams will now compete in the league after Threave Rovers, who finished bottom last season, tendered their resignation, and East Stirlingshire replaced Edinburgh City following the League 2 play-offs.

League chairman Andrew Waddell told the Border Telegraph: “We interviewed the applicants and the board members assessed them against a series of performance criteria.

“The final results were close but Hawick Royal Albert and Civil Service Strollers came out ahead. We welcome them to the Lowland League.”

Hawick will join Gala Fairydean Rovers, Selkirk and Vale of Leithen as well as the likes of East Kilbride, Spartans and Cumbernauld Colts. And club secretary Dougie Anderson is delighted. He said: "We are absolutely delighted. We hoped we would get in as a lot of work has been done both on and off the pitch in recent seasons. We are looking forward to playing against the likes of Gala and Selkirk once again."

Amongst the Albert's pre-season warm-up games is a match with Selkirk on July 9.