Heartache for Bonnyrigg Rose who are relegated from SPFL
Bonnyrigg Rose will ply their trade in the Lowland League next season after being relegated from the SPFL.
Rose were held to a goalless draw in the second leg of their Pyramid play-off against East Kilbride, failing to overturn a two-goal deficit following last Saturday's 3-1 first-leg defeat in South Lanarkshire. Kilby will now take their place in League Two next season.
Jonny Stewart's side finished bottom of Scottish football's fourth tier on goal difference having incurred a six-point deduction in November for breaching SPFL rules over the gradient of their New Dundas Park pitch.
Stewart galvanised a squad low on confidence when he took over from predecessor Calum Elliot in March, but it proved too little too late despite Rose winning their last three league games of the campaign. It's a bitter blow for a club that secured promotion to the SPFL in May 2022 via the Pyramid play-off.
"I'm massively disappointed," Stewart said afterwards. "Obviously it's never nice being relegated whatever sport or level you're playing at. The boys are gutted and so am I and my staff. It's quite hard to put into words, but over the course of the season, did we deserve to finish bottom? No, with the points deduction but we can't use that as an excuse. Since I've come in we've had the opportunity to keep us in the league but unfortunately we hit form just a little bit too late with winning our last three games.
"Credit to East Kilbride they're a good side and done a job on us. They were very professional and changed their style of play with the pitch and, if I'm brutally honest, we didn't do enough to win the game. Aaron (Arnott) had a chance in the first half and then Kerr (Young) hits the bar in the second and if that goes in it maybe changes the course of it. Over the piece I felt that we were just a little bit short.
"We need to recover physically and mentally now and go again next season. The fans have been brilliant - the support you get here is different class. It's a real community club so hopefully they stick with us."