A narrow 8-7 majority of clubs voted in favour of retaining B teams for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns, with one club understood to have abstained from casting a vote.

Currently Celtic and Hearts field B teams in the top tier of the pyramid structure beneath the SPFL after Rangers took the decision to withdraw their B side from the league at the end of last season.

Hearts B are currently third in the table, eight points behind leaders East Kilbride, while Celtic B are ninth. Rangers pulled out of the set-up after the collapse of a proposed new Conference League.

A statement confirmed: “The Scottish Lowland Football League can confirm that the majority of our members have voted in favour of continuing with B teams for at least the next 2 seasons.

“Following a process which began in October, a democratic vote was held in line with our rules at a General Meeting tonight. The Board would like to thank all our members for their contributions to the discussions in recent weeks.”

Albion Rovers, who were relegated from League Two at the end of last season after losing the pyramid play-off to The Spartans, expressed dismay at the outcome.

“Albion Rovers are deeply disappointed with the outcome of tonight’s Park’s Motor Group Lowland League guest club vote, which was cast 8-7 in favour of the continuation of B teams for the next two seasons, with the option of a third,” a club statement read.

“We voted no, and encouraged others to join us in putting supporters and common sense first.

“This was a chance for the Lowland League to regain its sporting integrity within the pyramid, ensuring that the fifth tier next year and beyond would be made up of clubs who have earned their places on merit, and are all competing on a similar field and for the same purpose – to win promotion to the SPFL.

“Instead, we, and our fellow member clubs, are now once again at odds with the majority of our supporters, who have no or little interest in watching their club play competitive fixtures against B teams.

“We voted for the fans, not against them. We voted for sporting integrity before (minimal) financial gain. We voted to not compromise the Lowland League’s reputation, again. We voted to boost the Lowland League’s perceived image and standing. We voted to put smaller clubs first over the biggest in the country.

“If the question of promotion to the SPFL from tier 5 comes up again, how can the Lowland League be taken seriously when it complains about the lack of a sufficient and fair trapdoor when we haven’t put sporting integrity first ourselves?

“We respect the decision and outcome of tonight’s vote and can only apologise to our supporters, and the supporters of other clubs, who haven’t been put first.”

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