LARGS Thistle have pulled their team out of this season’s Lowlands Development League amid concerns over spiralling costs and fixture farces.

They are the seventh team to exit the competition which aims to give younger players for junior sides such as Largs Thistle game time.

Largs lost head of youth development Ian Nixon to Greenock Juniors in January, but had been competing well.

The club says it is committed to developing players, but felt it was left with 'no other choice'.

It cited months of issues with player retention, large gaps between fixtures and the increasing cost of running a team for the decision.

Largs Thistle interim president Ryan Scott says that the club will look into creating a new plan for next season.

He said: “I would like to thank all the players. Their drive to work hard and commit during the pandemic and following the departure of our coaching staff was exceptional. We are very grateful to them.

“We wish to thank our senior management team, who took over the running of the team with the outstanding support of club official and coach Derek Scott.

“We wish to also thank our sponsors West Coast and the Village Inn too.

“This decision was very hard for us to take and was the last thing we ever wanted to do. We will look into the feasibility of building a new team for season 2022/2023.”

The Largs side had been playing in Conference F, with sides including Auchinleck Talbot, Beith, Port Glasgow and Kilwinning Rangers.

Just nine teams remain from the original 15 who started in the conference earlier in the season, with Ardrossan Winton Rovers, Cumnock, Darvel, Kilwinning Rangers and Maybole also pulling out. 

The Scottish Lowlands Development League has confirmed that all of Largs’ results for the current season have been expunged, so teams who won points over Thistle will have these removed.