Scottish FA Rules Buckie Thistle FC Ineligible for Pyramid Play-Off, East Kilbride FC to Proceed

The Scottish FA has announced that Buckie Thistle FC will not be eligible to participate in the Pyramid Play-Off tie, much to the disappointment of the club and its fans. The governing body stated that East Kilbride FC, who were granted a bronze licence by the committee, will proceed instead.

According to an SFA spokesperson, all Highland and Lowland League clubs were informed in December about the updated membership criteria requirements set by the SPFL. Despite being in regular dialogue with Buckie Thistle since then to address the issues highlighted in their club licensing report, the club failed to meet the necessary criteria by the licensing committee’s decision.

An SPFL spokesperson revealed that Buckie had not responded to follow-up letters sent in October, February, and March, nor had they applied for a period of grace by the 31 March deadline. The SPFL board had no choice but to enforce their rules, despite sympathizing with Buckie and their fans.

However, Buckie claimed that they had requested a period of grace for certain items and had been granted derogations for three out of four items. They expressed shock and devastation at the timing of the decision, especially considering the hard work put in by the players and management to win the Highland League title.

East Kilbride boss Mick Kennedy expressed his mixed emotions about progressing to the next round, stating that it was not the way he would have wanted to advance and expressing sympathy for everyone connected to Buckie Thistle.

As the play-off approaches on 11 and 18 May, Clyde is currently the most likely team to face East Kilbride, with two games remaining in League 2. The play-off promises to be an exciting and competitive affair, despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Buckie Thistle’s exclusion.