Annan Athletic granted SFL status after winning the vote to replace Gretna

At a meeting at Hampden, the 29 SFL clubs voted in favour of the East of Scotland League team being invited to join the Irn-Bru Third Division.  

Spartans, Edinburgh City, Preston Athletic and Cove Rangers has also applied to take the place left vacant by Gretna, who went out of business after being relegated from the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

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A cut above: Annan Athletic will step up at the start of the season

With a minimum of 15 votes required to gain entry to the SFL, three rounds of voting were needed before Annan's place was confirmed.  

They polled 17 votes in the final round, with Cove Rangers their closest challengers with 12 votes.  

One-time favourites Spartans dropped out of the running after the second round after amassing just six votes.  

Annan chairman Henry McLelland said: 'It's just sunk in but it's been a long time coming. 

'We've not been working towards this for only a few months - we've been working for this since we played Stranraer in 1979.  

'We have been rewarded for all our work since then.'

Annan failed with their last bid to join the SFL when they lost out to Peterhead and Elgin City in January 2000.  

SFL chief executive David Longmuir said: 'On behalf of the working party, I would like to say how impressed we were by all five clubs.  

'We welcome Annan to the Scottish Football League, where they will play a Challenge Cup game on July 26 and then their first league game on August 2.'