2020–21 Scottish League Two
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 October 2020 – 4 May 2021 |
| Champions | Queen's Park |
| Promoted | Queen's Park |
| Relegated | Brechin City |
| Matches played | 110 |
| Goals scored | 293 (2.66 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Kane Hester (15 goals)[1] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
The 2020–21 Scottish League Two was the 27th season in the current format of 10 teams in the fourth-tier of Scottish football. The season commenced later than usual on 17 October, being played over a shortened 27-game period due to the Coronavirus pandemic.[2]
The bottom team entered a two-legged play-off against the winners of the Pyramid play-off between the Highland League and Lowland League champions, determine which team competes in League Two in the 2021–22 season.[3]
Ten teams contested the league: Albion Rovers, Annan Athletic, Brechin City, Cowdenbeath, Edinburgh City, Elgin City, Queen's Park, Stenhousemuir, Stirling Albion and Stranraer.
On 11 January 2021, the league was suspended for three weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] On 29 January 2021, the suspension was extended until at least 14 February.[5] In March 2021, the Scottish Government gave permission for the league to resume. On 4 March, League One and Two clubs proposed shortening the season to 22 matches, with each team playing all other teams twice, followed by a split in the table to determine the final four matches. The clubs suggested a restart date of 20 March, which was approved by the SPFL.[6]
Teams
[edit]The following teams changed division after the 2019–20 season.[7]
To League Two
[edit]Relegated from League One
From League Two
[edit]Promoted to League One
Stadia and locations
[edit]| Albion Rovers | Annan Athletic | Brechin City | Cowdenbeath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliftonhill | Galabank | Glebe Park | Central Park |
| Capacity: 1,238[8] | Capacity: 2,504[9] | Capacity: 4,123[10] | Capacity: 4,309[11] |
 |  |  |  |
| Edinburgh City |  Location of teams in 2020–21 Scottish League Two | Elgin City | |
| Ainslie Park[12] | Borough Briggs | ||
| Capacity: 3,534[13] | Capacity: 4,520[14] | ||
.jpg) |  | ||
| Queen's Park | Stenhousemuir | Stirling Albion | Stranraer |
| Hampden Park | Ochilview Park | Forthbank Stadium | Stair Park |
| Capacity: 51,866[15] | Capacity: 3,746[16] | Capacity: 3,808[17] | Capacity: 4,178[18] |
 |  |  |  |
Personnel and kits
[edit]| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion Rovers |  Brian Reid | Aron Lynas | Joma | CompliancePath |
| Annan Athletic |  Peter Murphy |  Steven Swinglehurst | Halbro | M & S Engineering |
| Brechin City | Michael Paton | Jonathan Page | Pendle | Glencadam distillery |
| Cowdenbeath | Gary Bollan | Craig Barr | Erreà | Collier Haulage, Quarrying and Recycling |
| Edinburgh City | Gary Naysmith | Craig Thomson | Macron | Forth Capital |
| Elgin City | Gavin Price | Euan Spark | Joma | McDonald & Munro |
| Queen's Park | Ray McKinnon | David Galt | Admiral | Irn-Bru |
| Stenhousemuir | Stephen Swift | Callum Tapping | Uhlsport | LOC Hire |
| Stirling Albion | Kevin Rutkiewicz | Ross McGeachie | Macron | Prudential |
| Stranraer | Stephen Farrell | Jamie Hamill | Joma[19] | Stena Line[20] |
Managerial changes
[edit]| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion Rovers | Kevin Harper | Resigned | 8 May 2020[21] | Pre-season | Brian Reid | 5 June 2020[22] |
| Brechin City | Mark Wilson | Sacked | 27 October 2020 | 10th | Michael Paton | 6 November 2020 |
| Edinburgh City | James McDonaugh | Promoted to Sporting Director | 7 March 2021 | 5th | Gary Naysmith | 9 March 2021 |
| Stenhousemuir | Davie Irons | Mutual consent | 20 April 2021 | 6th | Stephen Swift | 27 April 2021 |
League summary
[edit]League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen's Park (C, P) | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 13 | +30 | 54 | Promotion to League One |
| 2 | Edinburgh City | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 40 | 27 | +13 | 38 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 3 | Elgin City | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 38 | |
| 4 | Stranraer | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 38 | |
| 5 | Stirling Albion | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 36 | |
| 6 | Stenhousemuir | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 26 | |
| 7 | Albion Rovers | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 25 | 38 | −13 | 25 | |
| 8 | Annan Athletic | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 27 | −2 | 22 | |
| 9 | Cowdenbeath | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 32 | −17 | 21 | |
| 10 | Brechin City (R) | 22 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 46 | −33 | 10 | Qualification for the League Two play-off final |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[23]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
[edit]Teams play each other two times, making a total of 90 games, with each team playing 18, the league then splits in half for a further 4 matches.[24] This was reduced from the normal 36 due to the coronavirus pandemic.[24]
Matches 1–18
[edit]Post-Split Fixtures (Matches 19–22)
[edit]Season statistics
[edit]Scoring
[edit]Top scorers
[edit]- As of 4 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kane Hester | Elgin City | 15 |
| 2 | Matthew Aitken | Albion Rovers | 10 |
| Andy Ryan | Stirling Albion | ||
| 4 | Thomas Orr | Stranraer | 8 |
| 5 | Josh Campbell | Edinburgh City | 7 |
| 6 | Bob McHugh | Queen's Park | 6 |
| Simon Murray | Queen's Park | ||
| Botti Biabi | Stenhousemuir | ||
| Mark McGuigan | Stenhousemuir | ||
| Ruari Paton | Stranraer |
Source:[1]
Hat-tricks
[edit]| Player | For | Against | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kane Hester | Elgin City | Cowdenbeath | 5–2 (H) | 28 November 2020 |
| Liam Henderson | Edinburgh City | Albion Rovers | 5–2 (H) | 5 December 2020 |
| Kane Hester | Elgin City | Queen's Park | 3–2 (H) | 4 May 2021 |
Attendances
[edit]Games were mostly played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited attendance was allowed at some grounds with strict conditions under the Scottish Government Tier system, dependent on the club's geographical location.
Awards
[edit]| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| October | Ray McKinnon | Queen's Park | Willie Muir | Queen's Park |
| November | Stephen Farrell | Stranraer | Darryl Duffy | Stranraer |
| December | Kevin Rutkiewicz | Stirling Albion | Andy Ryan | Stirling Albion |
| January | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March | Gary Naysmith | Edinburgh City |  Raffaele De Vita | Edinburgh City |
| April | Brian Reid | Albion Rovers | Matthew Aitken | Albion Rovers |
League Two play-offs
[edit]On 9 April the SPFL announced that a decision on whether the 2020–21 play-offs would proceed would be taken on 19 April.[25] Brechin City chairman Ken Ferguson resigned from the SPFL board on 9 April and was replaced by Clyde representative Gordon Thomson, as Brechin sat bottom of the League Two table and would potentially be affected by the decision on whether the play-offs should proceed.[25] The SPFL said on 9 April it would have to determine whether Brora and Kelty met league membership criteria, and noted that they had been declared champions based on curtailed seasons while it was not yet certain that League Two would complete its season.[25] The SPFL confirmed on 29 April that the play-offs would proceed.[26]
The Pyramid play-off was contested between the champions of the 2020–21 Highland Football League (Brora Rangers) and the 2020–21 Lowland Football League (Kelty Hearts).[25] Both clubs were also crowned their regional league champions in the 2019–20 season, but the promotion/relegation playoff was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]
Kelty won 6–1 on aggregate and then faced the bottom club (Brechin City) in the League Two play-off final, being promoted to League Two for the 2021–22 season after a 3–1 aggregate win. As Brechin City lost the play-off, they were relegated to the Highland League since they were north of 56.4513N latitude (middle of the Tay Road Bridge).[3]
Pyramid play-off
[edit]First leg
[edit]| 4 May 2021 | Brora Rangers | 0–2 | Kelty Hearts | Brora |
| 19:00 | Report |
| Stadium: Dudgeon Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Grant Irvine |
Second leg
[edit]| 8 May 2021 | Kelty Hearts | 4–1 (6–1 agg.) | Brora Rangers | Kelty |
| 15:00 | Report |
| Stadium: New Central Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Euan Anderson |
Final
[edit]First leg
[edit]| 18 May 2021 | Kelty Hearts | 2–1 | Brechin City | Kelty |
| 19:45 |
| Report | Page  23' | Stadium: New Central Park Attendance: 250 Referee: Gavin Duncan |
Second leg
[edit]| 23 May 2021 | Brechin City | 0–1 (1–3 agg.) | Kelty Hearts | Brechin |
| 15:00 | Report | Tidser 88' | Stadium: Glebe Park Attendance: 250 Referee: Craig Napier |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Scottish League Two Top Scorers". BBC. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ "Scottish League One to play 27-game 2020/21 season".
- ^ a b "The Rules and Regulations of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ "Scottish lower leagues & Scottish Cup suspended for three weeks". BBC Sport. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ "Scottish Cup, lower leagues and women's football remain suspended". BBC Sport. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Scottish League 1 & 2 clubs united on 22-game season starting on 20 March". BBC Sport. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "Dundee Utd, Raith & Cove win titles and reconstruction talks start after Dundee vote". BBC Sport. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ "Albion Rovers Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Annan Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Brechin City Football Club". Scottish Football Ground Guide. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Cowdenbeath Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ Pilcher, Ross (29 March 2017). "Edinburgh City and Spartans confirm three-season groundshare". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Edinburgh City Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Elgin City Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Queens Park Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Stenhousemuir Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Stirling Albion Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Stranraer Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "New kit deal". Stranraer FC. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ^ "30 years of Stena". Stranraer FC. 29 June 2017. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ "Kevin Harper leaves Scottish League Two side Albion Rovers after contract expires". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Albion Rovers: Brian Reid is new manager of League Two side". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 June 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "The Rules of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). SPFL. pp. 38–39. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Scottish League 1 & 2 clubs vote for 22-game season with split after 18 matches". BBC Sport. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Pyramid play-off decision delayed as Brechin's Ken Ferguson resigns from SPFL board". BBC Sport. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Brora Rangers to face Kelty Hearts as SPFL confirms pyramid play-offs will go ahead". BBC Sport. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.