Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers will continue to fight as tribunal approaches

Last week’s decision from Lord Clark referred the dispute to the tribunal, which is likely to get underway next week.

The financial costs of continuing to fight their corner had shed doubt on whether Rovers, along with Dundee United and Cove, could afford to continue their representation.

However, speaking to the Fife Free Press, Clark confirmed the three clubs had come to the joint decision to keep up their fight.

He said: “Things haven’t changed, the three clubs will continue to defend themselves.

“We will be at the tribunal which we expect to start next week sometime.

“It was a joint decision we made together, we looked at all the aspects of it and did a scoping of the pluses and minuses and decided we had to go ahead with it and defend our position.

“We have been dragged in to this, it was not our intention to be dragged in to a legal despite but because Hearts and Partick served us with the petition we felt we had to respond to it.

“We carried out a risk analysis and we are going forward.”

As the clubs involved get set to be heard at the tribunal Clark says he is unsure of whose favour the final outcome will fall in.

“I think it’s 50/50 to be honest,” said Clark.

“It’s not being determined on football, it’s being determined on company law - whether the SPFL have broken any law and whether the clubs have voted for Hearts and Partick to be relegated in a manner which was prejudiced against them.

“It’s all in company law, not really anything about the rights and wrongs football wise, it’s a question of did we as SPFL shareholders vote in a prejudiced way .

“Hearts and Partick’s QC has asked for a whole lot of documentary evidence about decisions that were made going right back to the first resolution when 81 percent of clubs agreed the league should finish.

“The main thing they will get at is the SPFL and the Dundee vote and whether that was legal or not which could affect our position.

“We have had a fair amount of support from other clubs in Scotland across saying they would support us financially if need be.

“Dundee United on behalf of all three clubs are starting a joint crowdfunding page.

“Between the money we’ve put in and the money we hope to get from other clubs and that should make us secure in terms of the money poison.”

On the football front, Clark also spoke about the continuing frustration cause by the uncertainty of the club’s position.

“There are various aspects including not being able to sell season tickets till we know what league we are in.

“John (McGlynn) also has to know if he is signing players for the Championship and League 1. There are a number of players who will be hesitant to join us because they don’t know what league we will be in.”