HILL of Beath Hawthorn will be in the same football division as their larger neighbours, Cowdenbeath, for the very first time when the new season kicks off.
The East of Scotland Premier League champs won promotion to what will be a new look Lowland League East and the beginning of a competitive derby rivalry with the Blue Brazil.
It's only around 1.5 miles from Keirs Park, where Hill of Beath play, to Cowden's home at Central Park but it's been a long journey for the respective clubs to get where they are.
Sharing the same division would have been unthinkable even a few years back, as Haws were mainstays in the junior ranks while the Blue Brazil were in the Scottish Championship as recently as 2015, before tumbling down the divisions and out of the SPFL in 2022.
Hill of Beath's move to the East of Scotland leagues, and part of the Scottish football pyramid that gives upwardly mobile clubs the chance to reach the higher echelons, has seen them rise up and they now have a shot at emulating Kelty Hearts, another former junior outfit who are well established in the SPFL, despite relegation to League Two last term.
The set-up for the 2026-27 season was officially unveiled at the Lowland League AGM at Celtic Park, in Glasgow, with membership doubling from 16 clubs to 32.
They'll be split into two divisions, Lowland League West and Lowland League East.
The east division will consist of 11 clubs from last season's Lowland League plus the Haws, Musselburgh Athletic and Dunipace from the East of Scotland Premier League, as well as Brechin City from the Highland League and Lochee United from the Midlands Premier League.
The west division will actually have 17 clubs, as Celtic B will continue as a guest.
Five sides from last season’s Lowland League will be joined by 11 new members - Hearts B will not take part.
Making up the numbers will be Clydebank, Albion Rovers, Gretna, Caledonian Braves and Cumbernauld Colts, who will be joined by clubs from the West of Scotland Premier League and South of Scotland League.
At the AGM, Cowdenbeath's David Allan was re-elected to the Lowland League board, and he described how things will be organised: “At the end of season 2026/27, the champions of both leagues will compete in a round robin contest along with the Highland League champions, for the right to take on club 42 (whoever finishes bottom of the Scottish League Two) from the SPFL in the play-off final for an SPFL place.
“At the foot of each division, two clubs can be relegated at the end of the season.
"The Midland Premier League and East of Scotland Premier League champions, if suitably licensed, will then be eligible to be promoted into the Lowland League East whilst the West of Scotland League and South of Scotland League champions, if suitably licensed, would similarly step up into the Lowland League West.”
Share