East of Scotland League votes to finish season

St Andrews Utd were amongst those polled.

Those polled were also asked if Premier Division leaders Bo'ness United should be declared champions, if there should be no relegation and if conference winners Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale (Conference A) and Tynecastle (Conference B) would be promoted to temporarily create a bigger Premier Division next season.

These proposals were also carried, by 29 votes to 11.

East of Scotland League secretary David Baxter said: "It's not a circumstance anybody really wants to be in to win a title this way.

"But, as with other leagues in the pyramid, the East of Scotland League has taken a similar view that the only way of finalising it is based on this method.

"Bo'ness have been top of the Premier Division for quite a number of months and by every factor they've been leading it this season so it's congratulations to them and the two conference winners Lothian Thistle and Tynecastle.

"By winning the league, first of all Bo'ness get the trophy. Secondly that gets them automatic entry into what's currently known as the William Hill Scottish Cup for next season.

"But promotion is another matter and for that they need to have an SFA licence. The SFA say they will get that at the SFA AGM in early June.

"Technically the SFA give Bo'ness their membership first and then the licensing committee give them the licence and the nod.

"And that tends to happen within a day of the AGM or at least on what happened last year, that's the expectation.

"With Covid-19, no-one knows what's going to happen with the start of next season anyway."

If Bo'ness are promoted to the Scottish Lowland League - just one level below League 2 in the SPFL pyramid - they will be replaced by the conference runner-up club with the highest points per game record.

And, at the end of season 2020-21, each First Division conference winner will be promoted with as many clubs as necessary relegated to restore the Premier Division to 16 clubs.