Junior game in a '˜crisis' but '˜Port are staying put

Rivals Tayport and St Andrews are now unlikely to meet again for some time. Pic by Blair Smith.

At the time of going to press, Tayport were still intending to remain a junior side.

Despite their fourth place finish in the East Premier, the volume of clubs leaving both that league and the Superleague over the past few weeks has opened up several places in the region’s top tier.

Tayport will take one, but local rivals St Andrews United won’t be joining them after making a late application to join the EoS league on Wednesday night.

A Tayport spokesman described the junior game as being in a “crisis situation”.

He added: “Clearly, with something like 18 ERSJFA clubs from the Superleague and Premier League already either having been accepted, have applications pending or are expected to apply to join the EoSL, last week’s planned restructure, indeed the future structure of the junior game in the east, is up in the air.

“This situation is understandably of particular interest to those clubs based in Perthshire, Dundee and Angus which are outwith the EoSL’s catchment area.

“It all leaves the junior game in something of a crisis situation.”