Football: Highlands' double fling

CALEDONIAN THISTLE and Ross County were yesterday elected to the Scottish League thereby bringing the senior competition to the Highlands for the first time, writes Trevor Haylett.

The decision, reached by the existing 38 senior clubs at a special general meeting in Glasgow, means the Highland towns of Inverness and Dingwall will both be represented next season when the League is split into four divisions of 10 clubs.

The Inverness application, the product of two Highland League clubs in Caledonian and Thistle, polled 68 votes and Ross County 57. Gala Fairydean, from the Borders, polled 35 votes, Elgin City 10 and Gretna two. The first newcomers for 20 years will step into the new Third Division with the bottom eight clubs in the current Second.

Wolverhampton Wanderers had a change of heart yesterday and gave the club's manager, Graham Turner, permission to spend pounds 500,000 on the Manchester United midfielder, Darren Ferguson.

Oliver Moeller, a Hamburg player, was stabbed in the kidneys by a woman while watching an indoor match involving his club in Stuttgart yesterday. The woman was arrested.