THE season may be drawing to a close but the saga of league reconstruction trundles ever so slowly on.

It will move forward a further notch tomorrow when the 30 Scottish Football League clubs convene at Hampden to discuss the latest draft on the table.

The Scottish Premier League clubs have had their say, ditching their preferred model for a 12-12-18 league set-up after it was voted down to instead introduce one that features relegation/promotion play-offs at the foot of the top tier, as well as all other aspects of the original proposal that were unanimously deemed worthy: the merger of the two governing bodies, an all-through financial distribution model, and the creation of a pyramid system involving non-league clubs below the fourth tier.

The SFL clubs, including associate members Rangers, who do not have a vote, will gather with a view to possibly taking a vote in the coming weeks. Should the SPL clubs, who will reconvene on Monday, get the 11-1 majority they require, 22 of the 29 eligible SFL clubs would also need to vote in favour for the proposals to move forward. And then the real fun of trying to get everything in place for next season would begin.

It is largely down to the gumption of the first division clubs that this point has been reached. Frustrated at seeing the original plans voted down, and fearing that an appetite for revolution was diminishing by the day, they notified their intention to cede from the SFL to form a second tier of the SPL. How serious they were with that threat was never put to the test. On the day their breakaway proposals were supposed to be discussed, the SPL somehow managed to find a way to revive plans for a 42-club solution that had been deemed dead in the water just two weeks earlier. Funny how a bit of brinksmanship can sometimes help focus the mind.

At face value, there would seem to be little in the latest plans that should cause the SFL clubs alarm. Those in the third division would need clarity on how any pyramid system would be implemented, while there will be a concerted push to ensure the merger of the two governing bodies is just that, rather than the SPL simply absorbing their neighbours on the sixth floor at Hampden. All the other key aspects – the prospect of a potential additional promotion place into the top flight via a play-off, as well as greater sums of money trickling down the divisions as part of a more equitable distribution model – will likely be met with a favourable response. There will be no vote at tomorrow's meeting although one could be arranged for as early as the SFL's annual general meeting next Thursday.

"This meeting is a chance for the 30 clubs to get together and have an open and frank discussion," David Longmuir, chief executive of the SFL, told Herald Sport. "We are pleased to see a 42-club solution is back on the table as that was always the way we wanted to progress. The SPL clubs have had their say and now it down to our clubs to meet and air their views. Then we will take it from there."

Proposals for a breakaway second tier have not been shelved entirely, however, according to one first division source. "We're glad to see that the plans in place involve all 42 of the clubs," he said. "We read what the SPL clubs have proposed with some interest and hopefully they will receive sufficient support. If not, then we will have to consider what is in the best interests of the first division clubs. From our point of view maintaining the status quo is not really an option."

The possible introduction of play-offs is one thing that almost everyone sees as a positive step. Matches on both sides of the border in recent weeks have produced great drama and talking points, while also raising extra revenue for those involved. Longmuir, who planned to be at last night's first division play-off final first leg between Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic, is a fan of the concept. "It is heartening to see play-offs back on the agenda," he added. "You only have to look at all the excitement recent games have produced to see their worth. That is something that would be attractive to our clubs, especially those in the first division."

Then there is the thorny issue of how the two league bodies would blend together should a merger come to fruition. The expectation is that the SPL, as the more commercial and modern of the organisations, would simply subsume the SFL but Longmuir does not see it that way. "We managed to get by with just one governing body for more than 100 years until 1998 so I am sure we will be able to do so again should that come to pass."

Such a body would of course require a new chief executive but Longmuir diplomatically sidestepped the question on whether he would be the right man for that job. "I will leave that discussion to others," he added.