Club awarded title despite being 3rd and 12 points off top, yes you read that right, that team is SJFA West Region Premiership side Auchinleck Talbot.
The league season has been ended early on a points-per-game (PPG) basis with all Scottish football suspended until at least the 10th of June.
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Talbot picked up a total of 41 points compared to the 53 points earned by Kilwinning Rangers, however had nine games in hand on their rivals, who had played 25 of their 30 league games. Pollok sat second, taking 42 points from 22 games.
Scottish Junior side Auchinleck Talbot have been awarded the West Region Premiership despite being 3rd and 12 points off top pic.twitter.com/CtSNtWa1e8
— FootballAwaydays (@Awaydays23) April 23, 2020
Talbot’s average points per game ratio of 2.56 beats Kilwinning’s 2.12, seeing Talbot crowned league champions.
Because of that, it earns them a place in next season’s Scottish Cup, which they got to the last 16 of back in 2019 after beating Ayr United.
It is also the very last West Junior Title to be awarded. Next season all the Western Junior clubs join the Senior ranks and will be under the West of Scotland League banner.
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A statement from the West Junior FA committee said: “We believe we must recognise each club that would have likely gone on to win their respective league titles. Success needs to be recognised even if factors are part of the deciding process.”
?⚽️ McBOOKIE SJFA WEST PREMIERSHIP | We are delighted to confirm that @atfc1909 have been declared as winners of McBookie SJFA West Premiership 2019-20.
??????? #SJFAWest pic.twitter.com/Nv0r9lA8Vj
— West Region SJFA (@SjfaWest) April 21, 2020
The club are however refusing to celebrate being given the title as boss Tommy Sloan insists they don’t want the trophy.
He said: “There won’t be any celebrating and nobody is jumping up and down with joy at Auchinleck.
“A decision has been taken and it’s a surprising one from my point of view as I’d have preferred the season to have been declared null and void. What we have to accept is that it’s been an independent decision and none of the clubs involved have had any say in it.
“The people who made the decision did so by themselves and we as a club now have to move on.
“I’ve had no communication with other clubs but I would imagine Kilwinning won’t be happy.
“They have come out on the wrong side of this and we are the club which has benefited from this decision.
“We’ve been given the league in an average points system so there is an anti-climax.
“But I can assure you, there will be no celebrating down here. We are more interested in whether football will restart next season.
“If the season was declared null and void we would just have moved on and looked towards next season.
“It’s a strange feeling to have been given this league title but all we can do is accept the decision.”
You can read more on that interview by clicking HERE.
“Auchinleck are a formidable team and they may well have gone on to win those games, but the reality is nobody knows that”@steadythebuffs boss Chris Strain is gutted Auchinleck have won the West Premiership title – they were 12 points behind Kilwinning, with 9 games in hand. pic.twitter.com/ixWAfnxDtg
— Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) April 22, 2020
Fans gave their reacted after the club was awarded the title despite being 3rd and 12 points behind the leaders…
This is actually, incredibly more embarrassing than the SPFL!! any Talbot player who.accepta a medal for ‘winning’ the league needs to take a serious (without laughing) look at themselves!
— pop 15 (@Gazzacusgxo) April 21, 2020
#TakeABow you are an absolute shambles of an organisation! Don’t expect it to get any better with this ‘new’ set-up. #Corrupt
— Mark Finnie (@Finnie2606) April 21, 2020
Well done to all involved @atfc1909 ?
— Darvel FC (@darvelfc) April 21, 2020
Should give them the junior Scottish cup as well ?
— Grant Lawson (@grantlawson18) April 21, 2020
WTAF, who decides this crap. Biggest shambles I’ve heard in a long time, once again makes a mockery of our football. No disrespect to Talbot but to say they deserve to be champs after playing just over half the games is a disgrace.
— Ian D (@IanD60359511) April 21, 2020
Shambles ?
— stewart brown (@spikeofdoom) April 21, 2020
This is a loada nonsense ?? team top of the league not even winning the title seen it all now!
— Louise Rodgers (@louise_ton22) April 21, 2020
This is a farce.
— Alex Young (@GlasgowSharks22) April 21, 2020
As a Talbot supporter, this doesn’t sit right with me. Should’ve been null and voided tae me.
— ????Scott D???? (@gsdavo1975) April 22, 2020
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