Cup door closed on junior clubs

Tayport won the Scottish Junior Cup on Sunday

Scottish Football Association president John McBeth has hit out at its members who voted against allowing junior clubs into next season's Scottish Cup.

He told BBC Sport that too many of them were "carrying a lot of old baggage" after defeating the proposal by 52 votes to 29 at its annual meeting.

But he was hopeful that the SFA's idea of a pyramid structure for Scottish football would eventually bear fruit.

It wanted to invite some of the semi-professional clubs next season.

The Scottish Cup is open to clubs in the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League but also to qualifiers from the Highland, East of Scotland and South of Scotland Leagues.

But members of the Scottish Junior Football Association have traditionally not been able to take part, yet some junior outfits have larger supports than league clubs.

We will get there eventually and I think we have to do that to catch up with younger nations around the world SFA president John McBeth

Some have argued for a pyramid system in Scottish football that would allow top junior clubs to challenge for a place in the Scottish League.

And there had been hopes of inviting Scottish Junior Cup winners Tayport and Superleague winners into the competition next season.

McBeth said: "We are looking at opening it up as exclusivisity is not a good method for growth and this was a template for that.

"Unfortunately, Scottish football moves slowly and we're still carrying a lot of old baggage, which has got to be sorted out.

"There was a feeling that there was a lack of consultation and we have to tackle that.

"The general feeling is that the idea is good and we're all for opening up the thing, but people do want to protect their own bit.

"We will get there eventually and I think we have to do that to catch up with younger nations around the world, who are getting ahead of us."

SFA chiefs say they expect non-member clubs to be allowed to take part in the competition eventually.

Chief executive David Taylor added: "The cup competition is one thing and the league competition is another and we are committed to that principle.

"We are trying to make sure that the financial consequences are not fatal to any of our own lower league clubs.

"That is the challenge we have, but it's not as though the idea is dead and buried - far from it."