Strathspey Thistle survive the drop after Lochee United’s disastrous week
Strathspey Thistle will live to see another season as a Highland Football League club after the only eligible team competing for Tier 6 honours officially fell out of the running for promotion.
Lochee United, who once looked likely suitors to vie for the Jags' spot in the Highland League, have capitulated in their attempt to swing the East Region Midlands championship race in their favour, losing twice in last week.
Defeat away to fellow contenders Dundee North End in midweek killed off any hopes they had of catching Broughty Athletic, who also did the needful in winning their final games.
A further defeat on Saturday compounded their misery.
The remarkable Tayside title programme has been led for the most part by Broughty Athletic, who sit top of the pack after playing all 38 games with 103 points on the board.
Their nearest rival though, North End, still have a staggering seven games left to play, sitting 20 points behind in third place. If they win their remaining games, they will pip Athletic to the title.
Irrespective of the overall outcome, neither of the likely winners hold the requisite license for promotion.
Therefore, the news of Lochee United's failure to qualify for a promotion playoff spot will have been welcomed by all at Seafield Park.
It has been another disappointing season for the Jags who finished the season on 10 points stranded 13 points behind second bottom Clach.
But the reprieve gives the Grantown club the chance to reset and will include the appointment of a new permanent manager after Robert MacCormack’s decision to resign towards the end of the campaign.
Mike Rae and assistants Charlie Brown and Robbie Flett stepped up and delivered two good wins but it has been a shattering end to the season with home and away fixtures to eventual champions Buckie Thistle and challengers Fraserburgh United.
In little over a week, they conceded 29 times and scored only two goals.
