Cove v Spartans / Spartans v Cove

[ecto]

Typical and shocking but no surprise! Totally uninterested that League 2 had  issues still to be confirmed and no mention of Champions and the “fight” for play off.  (Fight turned out to be a damp squib, but still!)

Oddly enough last season when we clinched at Forthbank, our manager was interviewed on the radio not long after the final whistle, was Stewart Petrie on the radio yesterday or did they go straight to off the ball

[ecto]

 

[emoji23]

 

That Tam impression

 

To be fair they seemed to work out where it would be pretty quickly, me and my mate were just leaving Perth when they’d said Aberdeen airport. Think that was about 1.

 

I think OTB is brilliant and should be treated separately from the other BBC shows. They did speak about Cove and even Kelty today.

OTB is a pale shadow of it's former self, Cosgrove has become self indulgent only interested in his on opinion and is not keen on anything that goes against it, should have been stopped a while ago, how long did they speak about Cove and Kelty?, and what do you mean by, be treated separately from other BBC shows?

[Strathman]

Thought Spartans did okay after an initial Cove onslaught. However the heads definitely went down in the second half and the lack of fight was  surprising.  Cove will now be able to resist any temptation to rush back their injured players for Tuesday. Excellent Cove performance.

[big al]

10 hours ago, DC92 said:

 

Buckie and Brora are not the same club.

Very true!

haha

[Aberdeen Cowden]

1 hour ago, ecto said:

OTB is a pale shadow of it's former self, Cosgrove has become self indulgent only interested in his on opinion and is not keen on anything that goes against it, should have been stopped a while ago, how long did they speak about Cove and Kelty?, and what do you mean by, be treated separately from other BBC shows?

Agree 100% about Cosgrove. Have listened to him so many times after games. It’s a non event and way past it’s sell by date.

Should be called the Cosgrove Show.

[Frank Grimes]

Some jiggery pokery with the leagues to be done if Cove overcome Cowden then?

 

[EdTheDuck]

26 minutes ago, Frank Grimes said:

Some jiggery pokery with the leagues to be done if Cove overcome Cowden then?

 

Yeah...does it mean another relegation from the LL? Or will they go with 17?

The HFL will just run with 17 if need be (or 16 if FWFC go into the NCL as seems very possible)

[Ginaro]

1 hour ago, EdTheDuck said:

Yeah...does it mean another relegation from the LL? Or will they go with 17?

The HFL will just run with 17 if need be (or 16 if FWFC go into the NCL as seems very possible)

LL will relegate the 15th team to the EoS or SoS if Cowdenbeath come down.

[EdTheDuck]

6 minutes ago, Ginaro said:

LL will relegate the 15th team to the EoS or SoS if Cowdenbeath come down.

Really? That is a very professional outcome. The HFL on the other hand...

If the need arose I reckon the HFL would just keep on adding teams: an HFL of about 23 clubs would be something to behold eh? I'm not sure if Dinosaurs or Ostriches is a more appropriate metaphor for the folks running the HFL but I really think the SFA/SPFL are  going to have to create a North League and populate it with the the more  forward thinking HFL/North Junior clubs (so a NL of about 6 teams? Ha!)

[HenryHill]

I now realise, after seeing us yesterday and seeing Coves score, and taking into consideration the hiding we are likely to receive over the coming two games that the play off system is unfair and that from next season there should be no play offs and a straight two up two down.

[HibeeJibee]

2 hours ago, EdTheDuck said:

Yeah...does it mean another relegation from the LL? Or will they go with 17?

As noted the citizens of Dalbeattie and Innerleithen have been ordering-in extra toilet paper.

Hawick are bottom of LL = relegated to EOSL (as 1 champions below is licensed - indeed after yesterday's last-day decider in Fife both are hence Threave v Kelty playoff next 2 Saturdays).


Vale of Leithen are currently 2nd bottom of LL and 5pts behind Dalbeattie. Vale would = EOSL, Dalbeattie = SOSL.

Vale host Cumbernauld in a game-in-hand on Wednesday then it's a potential last-day decider at Islecroft on Saturday... Dalbeattie v Val.

Whoever finishes 2nd bottom is relegated if Cove are promoted i.e. meaning Cowdenbeath relegated to LL.

Last season Selkirk were in the same position and breathed a huge sigh of relief when Buckie were eliminated.


With 13 new clubs (12 Juniors + IHS; also 2 more Juniors deferred to 2019-20), talk of late applicants, and 0/1/2 net gain from LL, the EOSL will expand from 13 clubs to 26-28+ next season.

[EdTheDuck]

8 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

As noted the citizens of Dalbeattie and Innerleithen have been ordering-in extra toilet paper.

Hawick are bottom of LL = relegated to EOSL (as 1 champions below is licensed - indeed after yesterday's last-day decider in Fife both are hence Threave v Kelty playoff next 2 Saturdays).


Vale of Leithen are currently 2nd bottom of LL and 5pts behind Dalbeattie. Vale would = EOSL, Dalbeattie = SOSL.

Vale host Cumbernauld in a game-in-hand on Wednesday then it's a potential last-day decider at Islecroft on Saturday... Dalbeattie v Val.

Whoever finishes 2nd bottom is relegated if Cove are promoted i.e. meaning Cowdenbeath relegated to LL.

Last season Selkirk were in the same position and breathed a huge sigh of relief when Buckie were eliminated.


With 13 new clubs (12 Juniors + IHS; also 2 more Juniors deferred to 2019-20), talk of late applicants, and 0/1/2 net gain from LL, the EOSL will expand from 13 clubs to 26-28+ next season.

I don't really know too much about the EoSL/SoSL but I'm guessing Kelty are like white hot favourites for this playoff...or a meringue

[HibeeJibee]

Kelty will be considerable favourites and have apparently been drawn at home in the 2nd leg. However they met at Kelty in the South Challenge Cup in January and Threave won on penalties after drawing 2-2 aet so it's not open & shut.

[Gordon EF]

45 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

With 13 new clubs (12 Juniors + IHS; also 2 more Juniors deferred to 2019-20), talk of late applicants, and 0/1/2 net gain from LL, the EOSL will expand from 13 clubs to 26-28+ next season.

Wow. I've taken a bigger interest in the EoSL and SoSL this season, mostly because I was interested how Kelty would get on. Which clubs will be entering at that level next season? i would assume with such a big influx and probably more to come, the leagues below the LL will need a restructure? What is the current boundary between East and South? I'd have expected Hawick to be South. Where would west coats clubs entering the pyramid go currently?

I feel like HibeeJibee should just do a 30 minute presentation on football below L2 every season and all questions should just be directed to it tbh.

[Ivo den Bieman]

Think I'll head down to Kelty in a couple of weeks time for the second leg of that play-off.

Surely there has to be a change to the LL structure where two go down automatically and the champions of the leagues below come up (assuming already licensed or with an application in process).

The system at present is far too complicated. Will be a real shame for whoever of Kelty or Threave misses out on their just rewards- a season in the Lowland League.

[Cyclizine]

The current system is in place because not all the teams in the EoSFL and SoSFL have licences so aren't eligible to play in the Lowland League. I suspect as more and more clubs gain licences, automatic relegation and promotion will follow. Not sure what'll happen up here in Highland League territory though...

[afca32]

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/highland-league/the-big-game/1464577/big-game-full-highlights-from-highland-league-playoffs-as-cove-rangers-take-on-spartans/

Highlights here. Assist for the third goal is as casual as you'll see.

[HibeeJibee]

It's built up gradually... In 2014-15 and 2015-16 neither EOSL or SOSL was won by a licenced club. Last season SOSL was and Edusport were automatically promoted. This season both are, so the Threave v Kelty playoff, and overall 3 of the top 4 in EOSL and 2 of the top 4 in SOSL were eligible for promotion. There are rumours of increased access for next season, and this would be eminently reasonable in the circumstances, IMO.
 

2 hours ago, Gordon EF said:

Wow. I've taken a bigger interest in the EoSL and SoSL this season, mostly because I was interested how Kelty would get on. Which clubs will be entering at that level next season? i would assume with such a big influx and probably more to come, the leagues below the LL will need a restructure?

According to the Edinburgh Evening News the clubs admitted to EOSL at an EGM on Thursday are as follows. Most of the clubs have made their own announcements - but the league hasn't put out a list yet - so it seems accurate but not official:

Blackburn Athletic
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic
Camelon
Crossgates Primrose
Dalkeith Thistle
Easthouses Lily
Edinburgh United
Dunipace
Haddington Athletic
Hill of Beath Hawthorn
Musselburgh Athletic
Tranent
plus Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts from SYFA, in the vein of BSC Glasgow etc.

Clydebank and Dundonald Bluebell made deferred applications to join in 2019-20 to allow for ground rebuilding etc. There are rumours of late applications - see thread on EOSL sub-forum - but nothing concrete AFAICS.

It's rumoured that a conference system will be used for 2018-19. According to an earlier article in the EEN there is space for up to 32 clubs, operating in 2 parallel conferences of 16 clubs each.

I haven't seen reports of clubs joining SOSL except for Wigtown & Bladnoch returning from abeyance. They already have 15 clubs - with Threave maybe going up or Dalbeattie maybe coming down - so possibly suits them currently.

 

2 hours ago, Gordon EF said:

What is the current boundary between East and South? I'd have expected Hawick to be South. Where would west coats clubs entering the pyramid go currently?

There is not a formal boundary between EOSL and SOSL but it can be broadly discerned by the memberships and the list of where clubs relegated from LL would go... EOSL = Central Scotland (including a fringe of what used to be Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire north & east of Glasgow), Fife, Lothians and Borders; SOSL = Strathclyde and Dumfries & Galloway. So currently all the west coast clubs would go to SOSL: which is what East Kilbride, Edusport (who originally played at Hamilton Palace) and Bonnyton did. Obviously this is quite unsatisfactory though given the league is otherwise entirely Dumfries & Galloway and is also the lowest level of football in the area. Hence again a lot of rumours about the desire for a "West of Scotland League" to deal with Strathclyde.

 

2 hours ago, Gordon EF said:

I feel like HibeeJibee should just do a 30 minute presentation on football below L2 every season and all questions should just be directed to it tbh.

To round off matters the only senior league outside the pyramid - the North Caledonian - currently has 9 clubs including Orkney, with Fort William apparently at the cusp of moving there and Balintore reforming.

[Gordon EF]

11 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

There is not a formal boundary between EOSL and SOSL but it can be broadly discerned by the memberships and the list of where clubs relegated from LL would go... EOSL = Central Scotland (including a fringe of what used to be Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire north & east of Glasgow), Fife, Lothians and Borders; SOSL = Strathclyde and Dumfries & Galloway. So currently all the west coast clubs would go to SOSL: which is what East Kilbride, Edusport (who originally played at Hamilton Palace) and Bonnyton did. Obviously this is quite unsatisfactory though given the league is otherwise entirely Dumfries & Galloway and is also the lowest level of football in the area. Hence again a lot of rumours about the desire for a "West of Scotland League" to deal with Strathclyde.

Interesting times then. Seems like reforming the SoSL into a WoSL is the most sensible approach. I suppose it partly deals with the issue of how the current N/W/E junior set up could fit into the current senior set up.

I can see it being a really strong LL in a few years once a few of the top junior sides get in there and possibly one or two sides who're currently in the SPFL. I'd imagine there'll be pressure to start having a 2 up, 2 down at the bottom of the LL.

I'd also like to see 10th place in L2 relegated automatically fairly soon as well.

[MO7S]

33 minutes ago, afca32 said:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/highland-league/the-big-game/1464577/big-game-full-highlights-from-highland-league-playoffs-as-cove-rangers-take-on-spartans/

Highlights here. Assist for the third goal is as casual as you'll see.

Some pass from Smith for Eric Watson's goal.