Buckie Thistle BANNED from SPFL promotion this season as Highland League champions don't meet SFA criteria

The SFA have announced that Highland League champions Buckie Thistle WON'T be eligible for SPFL promotion - and East Kilbride are set for an effective bye to the playoff final.

Back in February Highland League clubs expressed concerns over a quietly-implemented rule change that requires SPFL clubs to have attained a Bronze License before they can compete in the top four leagues. Passed last summer, it is set to come into effect from next season, and that left Highland League promotion hopefuls - none of whom are believed to hold one as things stand - scrambling to meet the criteria.

And a statement from the SFA has now announced that Buckie have not met the grade and will therefore be ineligible to compete in the SPFL next season. As such, their playoff with Lowland League winners East Kilbride will no longer take place, with Mick Kennedy's team handed a bye straight into a playoff with the bottom side in League Two.

A Scottish FA spokesperson said: “The Licensing Committee considered a range of eligibility criteria in respect of Buckie Thistle’s application. Unfortunately, the submission did not meet the requirements for the award of a Bronze licence.

“All SHFL and SLFL clubs were written to in December last year to advise that the audit process would be accelerated for those clubs with a chance of promotion, in light of the SPFL’s updated membership criteria requirements. The Scottish FA’s club licensing department has been in regular dialogue with Buckie Thistle since then to notify the club of, and provide ample time to address, issues highlighted in their Club Licensing Report. Unfortunately, these issues were not addressed by the club prior to yesterday’s licensing committee decision."

An SPFL spokesperson added: