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A non-league football club in Scotland is set to field two teams at the same time after a failure to resolve a fixture clash.
Renfrewshire side Johnstone Burgh were promoted to the the Lowland League West last season and now compete with illustrious names like Clydebank, Gretna and Albion Rovers, as well as a Celtic B team.
Johnstone, who count Frank McAvennie among their former players, are holding their own in mid-table in the fifth tier but face a near-insurmountable challenge because of the scheduling of two of their cup ties.
Johnstone Burgh will play two matches at the same time
The Burgh are competing in the Scottish Communities Cup and the Lowland League Cup this autumn and both of their fixtures are slated for Saturday, November 21.
They are scheduled to play Tayport in the Communities Cup and Dunipace in the League Cup, both away from home, and in a bizarre turn of events that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
“We have explored every possible option to find a suitable solution that would allow us to play the tie outwith a Saturday afternoon as our schedule is already full,” Johnstone said in a club statement as reported by the Daily Record.
“This has included attempting to rearrange league fixtures and South Challenge Cup ties, travelling to Tayport midweek, playing Tayport on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon, and, most recently, offering to play the Communities Cup tie immediately before or after our upcoming Lowland League Cup fixture.
“In addition, we offered to forfeit our share of the gate money to help cover any inconvenience caused by rearranging the fixture.
“Despite exhausting every option available to us, we have been unable to reach a solution that allows us to play outwith a Saturday afternoon.
“Regrettably, we now find ourselves in a position where our Communities Cup tie and Lowland League Cup tie must be played on the same day, at the same time, on Saturday 21st November.”
Burgh manager Stevie Farrell, a former St Mirren and Stenhousemuir defender with a couple of Second Division matches in England to his name, will be required to split his squad.
One Johnstone team will make the long trip to the east coast to take on Tayport while another heads to Stirlingshire for their Lowland League Cup tie on the same afternoon.
The first round ushers in a new era for the competition after the league’s expansion to form two geographical divisions, responsible for Johnstone’s promotion in sixth place last term.
