Celtic, Rangers and Hearts' controversial colts team proposal in doubt and to be discussed by Lowland League

Hearts’ bid to join Rangers and Celtic in next season’s Scottish Lowland League through the controversial Colts team project will be discussed at a meeting on Monday amidst further discord over the proposals.

Despite an agreement being reached to extend the one-year pilot project that saw both halves of the Old Firm field teams in the fifth tier of Scottish football last season, the three Premiership side’s B teams face being denied entry to next season’s competition with members reluctant to alter the league format to accommodate all of the new applicants.

Two teams have again been permitted to join the 2022-23 league on the same basis of 2021-22 with an increased entry fee of £40,000 plus the existing no-promotion clause but, according to a Daily Mail report, the three cinch Premiership clubs have combined to issue an all-or-nothing ultimatum that insists the trio be admitted together and the league expanded – or none enter at all and numbers return to 16.

Lowland League clubs have already voted 13 to three against a further expansion of their numbers, leaving the colts’ extension plan hanging in doubt ahead of crucial discussions over the coming weeks.

A vote will be held on June 6 over which guest clubs will be admitted to the two available slots, but talks at the SLFL annual meeting on Monday are expected to discuss the latest issue with the plan – a divisive one itself 12 months ago when opinion was split among clubs before Rangers and Celtic’s eventual admission – with Hearts and the added ultimatum the latest twist in the tale.

When Lowland League clubs agreed to re-admit two guest teams by a vote of 11 teams to four, it was assumed the places would be regained by the Glasgow pair, who played their games at