SCOTTISH football looks certain to go into next season with the same league structure after the lower division clubs refused to be rushed into immediate change yesterday.

A five-hour meeting of the Scottish Football League clubs ended with them agreeing in principle to league reconstruction, but crucially not until the start of the 2014-15 season. Neil Doncaster, the Scottish Premier League chief execu-tive, later revealed the 12 top-flight clubs will continue to discuss an immediate change to a 12-12-18 format – and vote on it – at a scheduled meeting on April 15.

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But 29 of the 30 SFL clubs debated the topic at Hampden yesterday and were split down the middle on whether or not it could, or should, be done in time for next season. No vote was held but in the end the narrow majority view was to commit to the broad package of change, including a single governing body for the leagues and a new financial distribution model, but to apply no reconstruction before the start of the new season in August.

 

That will mean the current 12-10-10-10 format continues next season and that Rangers, as the imminent Irn-Bru Third Division champions, will be promoted to the third tier. Rangers contributed to the debate yesterday but Dunfermline Athletic, having entered administration, were not represented.

"We were equal in terms of those in favour and others not but in order to get everybody, one year is not a lot for us to really work hard together to deliver it for the season after," said David Longmuir, the SFL chief executive. The SPL had described this as a now-or-never moment because of the rarity of all the top-12 clubs being willing to vote now for 12-12-18, but Longmuir said: "I'm hopeful that the SPL will be prepared to wait. The argument that has always been expressed is the balance of unanimity changes from season to season and affects the voting. But when you look at the likely candidates, who would be changing positions? We are all like-minded people who want change for the good of the game. Therefore, I can't see that being an issue.

"It is hugely important that we get it right and that we don't rush into something and then find we haven't made a change which has really taken the game forward. There is nobody against change, we all know that we need to do it for the better of the game but if it's right today then it's not beyond us all to agree that we'll stick together on it for a year."

The SFL board will soon agree a date for the clubs to vote on the matter. Longmuir said he was not concerned that unhappy first division clubs, those who did want immediate league reconstruction, might become receptive to breaking away to join the top flight and create SPL2. A group of first division club representatives were seen in discussions after the broader meeting yesterday afternoon but Longmuir said he had spoken to them and was "com- fortable" the SFL view would eventually be unanimous.

Turnbull Hutton, the Raith Rovers chairman, was one of those frustrated by the outcome. He wanted change in time for next season and warned the landscape could be entirely different in a year. "We saw what was on the table as a good deal. It leaves a confusing message in terms of what gets fed back to the SPL clubs.

"The reality is that what was on offer, was on offer now. There wasn't an offer there that said 'can we pick it up in a year's time?' I think there is almost a failure of understanding or a naivety that says we can negotiate something that will take place a year from now. Clubs are keen on change but just not now, that, to me, isn't a violable position, frankly."

But the Annan Athletic chairman, Henry McClelland, reflected the prevailing view that the smaller clubs felt they were being hurried into immediate change. "We believe we should take a bit more time," he said. "With a reasonable timetable a further season would be enough to get everything implemented that we need to implement."

Doncaster later insisted his top-flight clubs would continue to pursue change in time for next season. "We have spent a very long time, years frankly, getting to this point. We have spent months negotiating the detail of the deal which was announced at Hampden on January 8. There is no attempt to rush anything, but we will be going forward on April 15 with documents that reflect the deal that was done for implementation this summer."

The SPL also announced yesterday that next season will begin on Saturday, August 3. Celtic have taken up the option of requesting the following Saturday, August 10, off in order to play a lucrative friendly. That was granted and no other SPL club made the same request.