The Breedon Highland League season more than lived up to its billing as the most competitive and entertaining league around.
Our Highland League Weekly cameras have been treated to three ridiculously exciting finales in our three campaigns of following the action.
Season one brought a final day fight for the title between Fraserburgh and Buckie Thistle, with the Broch coming out on top.
The last campaign topped that drama by giving us a head-to-head shoot-out for all the marbles between Buckie Thistle and Brechin City, with the Hedgemen coming out on top at Victoria Park to clinch the championship.
In keeping with the now established pattern this season, we had not one, not two, but three title challengers in with a chance of winning the title – with Buckie making it third-time lucky as they pipped champions Brechin on goal difference, with the Broch finishing three points behind in third place.
Drama unlike anywhere else? You had better believe it.
How sad then that all that joy, excitement and entertainment has been sullied by administrative red tape?
A painful and harsh lesson for champions Buckie
It is hard not to feel for all the parties involved after Buckie’s shot at promotion to the SPFL was cruelly taken from their grasp on Thursday, less than 48 hours before they were due to face Lowland League winners East Kilbride.
There was a stunned silence when the news broke Buckie had been deemed ineligible to participate as they did not obtain a bronze licence from the SFA which is needed to be a member of the SPFL.
However, not gaining the licence was just the start of this sorry tale.
Buckie were devastated, understandably so, but the SPFL’s insistence the Jags had failed to respond three times to correspondence and failed to apply for an extension by the March 31 deadline seems to have left the new champions with little wiggle room.
Clearly it has been a steep learning curve and a particularly painful lesson for Jags president Garry Farquhar and his board at Victoria Park.
It must stick in the craw when the stumbling block – in this case a club doctor being present for matches – is something which seems on paper to be one which can be easily fixed.
Brechin’s frustration is understandable
Spare a thought for runners-up Brechin City in all of this.
They had done their homework to ensure they could take part in the play-off had they won the championship.
Unlike their Lowland League counterparts, who have B teams of Premiership sides Celtic and Hearts in their division, there is no provision for any team other than the champions of the Highland League to compete in the play-off.
City chairman Kevin Mackie is understandably frustrated but, just like Buckie have discovered, you can’t tweak the rules after the fact.
SPFL remains weighted in favour of those already in it
It does all seem so unfair, though, especially when you consider there are SPFL member clubs competing who do not currently meet the standard.
One of them, Airdrie, could be playing Premiership football next season as they in the play-offs after finishing fourth in the Championship.
Sadly, that’s the way the cookie tends to crumble in the SPFL. For all the talk of widening the game and allowing access to all clubs, there remains caveats at every turn and it is not a level playing field.
If you are in, there are wee advantages to be had from already being inside the inner circle. That only increases as you go up the ranks.
Take the team who finish second bottom of the Premiership – they will only have to win a play-off final to secure their top-flight status. If the Diamonds reach the play-off final, they will have come through four games just to get a shot at promotion.
But at least they will get a shot.
For the Highland League, the SPFL has reverted to its closed-shop status in 2024.
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