Peat used his casting vote to expel one of the three clubs

Three clubs expelled from Scottish youth football's top flight by the SFA are planning a fightback.

Dunfermline and Ross County failed to meet an SFA rule about staff disclosure forms, while Dundee did not have a required second youth licence holder.

The Pars will take the matter up with their MSP, while County chairman Roy McGregor has told BBC Sport that the club will mount a legal challenge.

Dundee say their staff have changed and that they now meet the requirements.

The vote to expel the youth teams was made after an investigation by the SFA professional football committee.

An appeal by the three Scottish Football League clubs was then heard by a four-man emergency committee comprising SFA chief executive Gordon Smith, SFA President George Peat, SPL Chairman Lex Gold and SFL president Brown McMaster.

Having been told there was no right of appeal, Dunfermline have been given a stay of execution until Monday.

Peat told BBC Sport that two of the three clubs were unanimously expelled and that he used his casting vote to expel the third club from the elite level.

"I only used the casting vote on one occasion, the other two were unanimous," he said.

The only club outside of the SPL that can now play at elite level is Stenhousemuir.

SFA rules stipulate that staff disclosure forms, relating to child protection, must be renewed every three years.

However, Dunfermline and Ross County claim that all members of their staff were fully vetted as required by law and that the matter is merely an administrative oversight.

Dundee insist that their failure to meet the requirement of having a second youth licence holder was due to a member of staff having moved to another club.

With Gordon Wallace and John Holt now in place, the Dens Park side believe they now satisfy the ruling.