COWDENBEATH will open their Lowland League season against one of the Old Firm as they face Celtic B.

The Blue Brazil will travel to Airdrie's Penny Cars Stadium to face the B side on Saturday, July 23.

Celtic and Rangers both had B teams playing in Scotland's fifth tier last term and they will now be joined by Hearts in a 19-team league structure that will exist for one season only.

And Cowdenbeath will play all three away from home in the opening six fixtures.

Club secretary David Allan observed that meeting the three Premiership B teams inside the first few weeks of the season was an unusual feature of the fixture list and said: “We have been speculating on who we will be meeting but to face the Old Firm B teams and Hearts B, all away from home, inside three weeks, is very unusual.

“The players will be eagerly looking forward to getting the league campaign up and running.”

Cowden's first home tie is on Tuesday, July 26, when they welcome Open Goal Broomhill.

It is followed by a match against Gala Fairydean Rovers on Saturday, July 30, at Central Park, to be followed by a match with Hearts B away from home on Wednesday August 3, then an away fixture with Rangers B away from home on Saturday, August 6.

With 19 teams in the division one team sits it out each week, and Cowdenbeath’s first experience of that will be on Saturday, August 27.

Playing in the Lowland League will allow Cowden to renew rivalries with former League 2 sides East Stirlingshire and Berwick Rangers, and the Shire will be at Central Park on Saturday October 1, and on the 29th of that month the Blues will be at Berwick.

The traditional holiday fixtures at Christmas and the New Year will see Cowden at Bo'ness United on Christmas Eve and at home to Tranent on Hogmanay.

With several cup competitions, including the SPFL Trust Challenge Cup and Scottish Cup, several Saturdays will be occupied with these and the league programme ends on Saturday, April 22.