Rangers and Celtic 'B' Lowland League plan backed by Braves boss as positive move for Scottish football

Caledonian Braves boss Ricky Waddell says they're likely to vote for Rangers and Celtic 'B' teams to remain in the Lowland League at Monday's general meeting, and that the positives outweigh the negatives from the Glasgow giants' involvement.

Waddell says bigger crowds and more interest in the Lowland League have come from the Colts teams' involvement, and it's an added incentive for players to test themselves.

He says a positive vote for Rangers and Celtic to stay in the league would be to the benefit of Scottish football.

And the former Rangers youth coach says as long as they don't get in the way of Braves' eventual title tilt, he doesn't see a problem.

Waddell said: "I remember asking the question in the meeting last year that it was in the rules they were to stay in for one season, and then it had to go back to a 16-team league, but some things can change.

"One of the main reasons we would vote as a club for them to stay in - and we've yet to have the conversation with the owner and the board - but the reason why we voted for it the first time was for the benefit of Scottish football.

"I think Scottish football has a reputation of maybe voting for their own interests, but I think the majority of Lowland League clubs were not in that frame of mind, where they voted for probably what was the benefit of Scottish football, and young players playing in a competitive league.

"We'll see what comes on Monday, but my personal opinion is that it does no harm, them playing.

"Ultimately I feel it has been positive on the whole - we would never have had 500, 600 fans or whatever it was at our game against Rangers at Alliance Park, so it has brought that interest to our game at the Lowland League level, which has been a positive.