How Greenock Juniors could still be promoted as fears grow for future of rival club
GREENOCK JUNIORS may have missed out on promotion from the Third Division - but the Ravenscraig side could yet make the step up as fears grow for the future of one of their rivals.
Having spent most of the season in the promotion places, Gary Fleming's men missed out after being overtaken by Threave Rovers in the final week of the campaign - with the Nock's 5-1 win at home to Lugar on the last day proving to be too little too late.
Threave made the step up to the Second Division alongside Kilsyth Athletic and champions Thorn Athletic, with Greenock left to rue the 12 points dropped in the course of a five-match winless run during March.
But events off the park elsewhere could yet see Greenock among the teams lining up in the Second Division for the 2025-26 campaign.
All should become a little clearer when the Scottish Lowland League's AGM takes place in the coming days.
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That meeting will see administrative confirmation of Broomhill FC's relegation from the Lowland League to the West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL).
Broomhill's place in the Lowland League will be taken by Clydebank, who secured promotion to the fifth tier when they completed a 3-1 aggregate win over Musselburgh Athletic in the second leg of the Lowland League play-off at Holm Park on Sunday.
However, the Tele understands that neither the Lowland League nor the WoSFL has received any communication from Broomhill, who played their final game of the Lowland League season on April 25, a 2-1 win over Civil Service Strollers at Stenhousemuir's Ochilview Park.
That has sparked fears that Broomhill, who have played their home matches at Dumbarton FC for the last two seasons as part of a five-year groundsharing deal, could fold.
Should no communication be received from Broomhill by June 7, the date of the West of Scotland Football League's AGM, then the teams in fourth place in the WoSFL's First, Second, Third and Fourth Divisions will all be promoted - with Greenock one of the four teams who would benefit, along with Kilwinning Rangers, Lanark United and Easterhouse FA.
Broomhill have played in the Lowland League since the club's formation as BSC Glasgow 2014-15, having previously groundshared with Maryhill, Alloa Athletic and then, for a single season, at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld.
The current BSC Glasgow team, which competed alongside Port Glasgow in the WoSFL's Fourth Division in 2024-25, split from Broomhill in 2021.
There's also doubt over BSC Glasgow's future in the WoSFL after a torrid campaign which saw them finish bottom of the table, with just three points to their name and a total of 165 goals conceded - an average of 5.5 per game.
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Despite three Asian Cup appearances since then, the national team is yet to qualify for a World Cup, but the current players, including top-scorer Dabbagh, now have a chance to make history. Up next for the Palestinian national team are two crunch World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Kuwait. Currently fifth in its qualifying group, the team needs to finish third or fourth to enter the fourth round of qualifying. The odds of leapfrogging above Oman in the group are long, but the team will be well supported by those back home. For the people of Gaza, seeing its soccer team qualify for the World Cup would be a beacon of light in an otherwise harrowing period of war and bloodshed. In March, the Palestine Football Association told CNN Sports that 408 athletes have been killed in the conflict with Israel – players, officials and the majority children, including 270 soccer players. 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