4 Jul 2008Annan Athletic given SFL status

Football Clubs News | Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

Fans of Annan Athletic will see their team playing in the Scottish third division next season after they were voted into the Scottish Football League (SFL).

Annan will take Gretna's place in the league after three rounds of voting confirmed their place yesterday (Thursday).

Cove Rangers, Spartans, Preston Athletic and Edinburgh City will not be promoted after the vote.

Annan scored 17 votes in the final round, five more than second-placed Cove, to secure their place in the SFL.

According to reports from the BBC, Annan won the backing of the SFL because of their superior facilities, but Spartans had originally been favourites because they are due to move into a new stadium.

Henry McLelland, chairman of Annan, was delighted with the news and said it was only beginning to sink in.

"It's been a long time coming," he explained.

Gordon Smith, chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, said all the clubs had a very strong case for promotion.

He urged them to continue what they were doing in the hope that they would one day be promoted.

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