Brechin City write to SPFL board to oppose pyramid play-off
- Published
Former Scotland captain Barry Ferguson is manager of Kelty Hearts
Brechin City have written to the SPFL board in an attempt to halt this season's pyramid play-off matches between Brora Rangers and Kelty Hearts.
The Highland and Lowland League champions are due to meet in a two-leg tie with the winner facing League 2 bottom club, currently Brechin, for a place in next season's SPFL.
But Brechin say it would be "fundamentally unfair", with Brora and Kelty having not played a full season, and instead propose reconstruction with an enlarged bottom tier.
In the letter that was distributed to clubs in the bottom two tiers of the SPFL, Brechin say they support the pyramid structure but feel that neither Brora or Kelty should be put forward as champions.
Brora played only three of 16 fixtures before being declared champions when the shortened Highland League season was halted, with Kelty Hearts playing 13 games out of a scheduled 32-match Lowland campaign.
Brechin offer an alternative proposal to a play-off that would see no relegation from League 2 but both Brora and Kelty awarded a place in the division for next season.
They also say suggest for season 2022-23 two further clubs from the Highland and Lowland Leagues gain access and then for the following campaign Rangers and Celtic 'B' teams join to make the bottom tier a 16-team league.
Brechin also say the Scottish FA has obtained legal opinion that the Highland and Lowland Leagues were within their rights to declare champions, but have asked the SPFL if they will obtain their own legal opinion on the matter.
The club say: "We have canvassed opinion from several other SPFL2 clubs and are encouraged by the positive responses we have received - there seems to be a consensus that no single club should suffer so severely from the exceptional circumstances we have all endured since the onset of the [Covid-19] pandemic in early 2020."
No pyramid play-off took place at the end of last season's curtailed campaign with Brora and Kelty declared champions of their respective divisions and Brechin finishing bottom of League 2.