The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL) wishes to clarify the facts surrounding recent public comments and media interviews given by representatives of Johnstone Burgh FC regarding fixture scheduling for Saturday, 21st November 2026.
Under long-standing league rules official SLFL competition fixtures hold absolute priority over unaligned, external competitions.
At the SLFL Annual General Meeting on 25th May 2026, attended by two representatives of Johnstone Burgh FC, this position was re-emphasised in detail. The AGM minutes explicitly record that while clubs are free to participate in the Scottish Communities Cup, those fixtures must be scheduled around SLFL commitments.
The Board also highlighted the established league protocol allowing clubs to mutually agree to move fixtures to a preceding or following midweek slot to accommodate external ties.
Claims that there was a lack of strategic planning or advance notice regarding these fixtures are demonstrably incorrect.
On the 1st July 2026 the complete SLFL fixture calendar for the season 2026/27 was issued to all member clubs, explicitly designating Saturday, 21st November 2026, as the date for the First Round of the Lowland League Cup.
On the 20th July 2026 the draw for the Lowland League Cup First Round was conducted, with Johnstone Burgh FC in attendance.
Johnstone Burgh FC have had full knowledge of their SLFL Cup fixture on 21st November for four months.
The SLFL must directly correct inaccurate comments made during a recent national radio interview, in which it was claimed that the league had refused a request from Johnstone Burgh FC to postpone a Development / U20s fixture on Friday, 20th November.
This assertion is completely false. The club’s request regarding the U20s match was submitted on the evening prior to the radio broadcast. Before the SLFL Development League Secretary had even been afforded the opportunity to review or respond to the correspondence, the manager went on national radio and falsely claimed the request had been rejected. At the time of the broadcast, no decision had been made, nor had the request even been processed.
The SLFL exists to manage a fair, structured, and competitive environment for all member clubs. League rules and fixture protocols apply equally to every participant and cannot be set aside or subordinated to accommodate third-party tournament scheduling.
While Johnstone Burgh FC plan to fulfil dual fixtures on 21st November by splitting their playing squad, the Board notes with disappointment that fielding split teams across simultaneous fixtures inevitably risks devaluing the sporting integrity of both competitions.
The responsibility for this situation rests entirely with Johnstone Burgh FC, who entered the external competition fully aware of SLFL priority rules and their SLFL fixtures.
