BRORA RANGERS have been awarded the Highland League title following a meeting of the league management committee in Lossiemouth on Saturday.

At the meeting, member clubs took the decision to officially end the 2019/20 campaign and crown the Dudgeon Park side as champions.

Brora Rangers had six games left to play and boasted a 13-point lead at the table's summit - but mathematically could have been caught by Fraserburgh, Rothes and Buckie Thistle.

"Our objective at the start of the season was to finish the league as champions and the boys have done that," said manager Steven Mackay. "Therefore I am incredibly proud of them and their achievements. We would, of course have wanted to win the league by completing all of our fixtures but that has not been possible.

"The Highland League board and clubs deserve huge credit for making a correct and fair decision. I don’t think anyone could deny that my players have been the most consistent this season and deserve to be crowned as champions although we had some tough competition from other clubs."

Scottish football remains in an indefinite period of suspension and the Highland League's decision could prove controversial, given the debate currently raging around whether or not Celtic should be named as Premiership champions if clubs are unable to complete their fixtures this season. A precedent has now been set and it remains to be seen if the SPFL will follow suit.

The Lowland League, meanwhile, have not made any announcement or decision on the conclusion of their division. In normal circumstances, the champions of the north and south leagues would play each other in a two-legged play-off, with the winners facing the last-placed team in League Two with a place in the SPFL up for grabs.

As it stands, Kelty Hearts top the Lowland League table, six points ahead of Bonnyrigg Rose with five games to go, although the Fife outfit have played an extra game. Brechin City are propping up the rest at the foot of League Two.