2015–16 Scottish League Two Explained

Pixels:250
Competition:Scottish League Two
Season:2015–16
Winners:East Fife
Promoted:East Fife
Queen's Park
Relegated:East Stirlingshire
Matches:180
Total Goals:517
League Topscorer:Nathan Austin
(22 goals)[1]
Best Goalkeeper:Jordan Hart
(6 clean sheets)-->
Biggest Home Win:
(9 February 2016)[2]
Biggest Away Win:
(19 March 2016)
Highest Scoring:
(14 November 2015)
Longest Wins:4 matches:
Clyde
East Fife
Elgin City
Longest Unbeaten:7 matches:
East Fife
Longest Winless:8 matches:
Montrose
Longest Losses:6 matches:
Berwick Rangers
Highest Attendance:1,387

(2 January 2016)
Lowest Attendance:238

(21 November 2015)

(16 February 2016)
Attendance:99,947
Average Attendance:555
Prevseason:2014–15
Nextseason:2016–17
Updated:1 May 2016

The 2015–16 Scottish League Two (referred to as the Ladbrokes League Two for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd season in the current format of 10 teams in the fourth-tier of Scottish football. The last placed team entered a play-off with a team nominated by the Scottish Football Association from outside the SPFL to determine which team enters League Two in the 2016–17 season.[3]

Teams

To League Two

Relegated from Scottish League One

From League Two

Promoted to Scottish League One

Stadia and locations

Annan AthleticArbroathBerwick RangersClyde
GalabankGayfield ParkShielfield ParkBroadwood Stadium
Capacity: 2,514[4] Capacity: 6,600[5] Capacity: 4,500[6] Capacity: 7,936[7]
East FifeEast Stirlingshire
Ochilview Park
Capacity: 1,980[8] Capacity: 3,746[9]
Elgin CityMontroseQueen's ParkStirling Albion
Borough BriggsLinks ParkHampden ParkForthbank Stadium
Capacity: 4,520[10] Capacity: 3,292[11] Capacity: 51,866[12] Capacity: 3,808[13]

Personnel

TeamManagerCaptainManufacturerSponsors
Annan Athletic Jim Chapman Steven BlackStannoM&S Engineering Ltd
Arbroath Dick Campbell Mark WhatleyPendleMegatech
Berwick Rangers John Coughlin Jonny FairbairnZoo SportAutomatic Retailing Vending Ltd
Clyde Barry Ferguson Mark McLaughlinHummelCash for Kids
East Fife Gary Naysmith Steven CampbellJomaOLS Laundry Service
East Stirlingshire Craig Tully Richard BarnardJakoShire Trust
Elgin City Jim Weir Jamie DuffEC 1893McDonald & Munro
Montrose Paul Hegarty Paul WatsonNikeIntervention Rentals
Queen's Park Gus MacPherson Tony QuinnUnder ArmourIrn-Bru
Stirling Albion Stuart McLaren Ross McMillanMacronPrudential

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
Berwick RangersSacked31 October 2015[14] 7th John Coughlin6 November 2015[15]
ArbroathSacked6 March 2016[16] 8th Dick Campbell8 March 2016[17]

League table

Results

Teams play each other four times, twice in the first half of the season (home and away) and twice in the second half of the season (home and away), making a total of 36 games.

Second half of season

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

[1]

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Nathan AustinEast Fife22
2 Craig GunnElgin City21
3 Gary FraserMontrose19
4 Blair HendersonBerwick Rangers17
5 Peter WeathersonAnnan Athletic15
6 Josh ToddAnnan Athletic13

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date Ref
East Fife Montrose 4–1 [18]
4 Clyde Berwick Rangers 5–0 [19]
Stirling Albion Montrose 3–1 [20]
East Fife Stirling Albion 3–1 [21]
Stirling Albion Montrose 7–0 [22]
Note4 Player scored 4 goals

Discipline

Player

Yellow cards
RankPlayerClubCards
1 Michael McKennaBerwick Rangers13
2 Reece DonaldsonEast Stirlingshire11
3 Steven NotmanBerwick Rangers10
Gary FraserMontrose
Ross ForsythStirling Albion
6 Mark McLaughlinClyde9
Mark NicolsonElgin City
Ross SmithStirling Albion
9 Graham WebsterMontrose8
106 players7
Red cards

[23]

RankPlayerClubCards
1 Peter WeathersonAnnan Athletic2
Ricky LittleArbroath
Jordan McGregorBerwick Rangers
Kevin WalkerBerwick Rangers
Reece DonaldsonEast Stirlingshire
Ross SmithStirling Albion
733 players1

Club

Yellow cards

[24]

RankClubCards
1Berwick Rangers74
2East Stirlingshire73
3Stirling Albion64
Red cards

[24]

RankClubCards
1Berwick Rangers8
Stirling Albion
3Clyde7

Awards

Monthly awards

MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthRef.
ManagerClubPlayerClub
August Gary NaysmithEast Fife Smart OsadolorAnnan Athletic[25]
September Gus MacPhersonQueen's Park Bobby LinnArbroath
October Paul HegartyMontrose Matty FlynnAnnan Athletic
November Barry FergusonClyde David GormleyClyde
December Stuart McLarenStirling Albion Darren SmithStirling Albion
January Jim WeirElgin City Nathan AustinEast Fife
February Barry FergusonClyde Steven DorisStirling Albion
March Gary NaysmithEast Fife Kyle WilkieEast Fife
April John CoughlinBerwick Rangers Brian CameronElgin City

League Two play-offs

The first round was contested between Cove Rangers and Edinburgh City, the winners of the Highland League and Lowland League respectively. City, the winners, then played off against the bottom club in League Two, East Stirlingshire, swapping with them and being promoted to the 2016–17 Scottish League Two with a victory.

Semi-finals

Second leg

Final

Second leg

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2015–16 Scottish League Two scorers . . 20 August 2015.
  2. Web site: 2015–16 Scottish League Two performance . . 20 August 2015.
  3. Web site: The Rules of the SPFL . . PDF . 5 May 2014 .
  4. Web site: Annan Athletic Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  5. Web site: Arbroath Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  6. Web site: Berwick Rangers Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  7. Web site: Clyde Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  8. Web site: East Fife Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  9. Web site: East Stirlingshire Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League. 11 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20171031165434/https://spfl.co.uk/clubs/east-stirlingshire/. 31 October 2017. dead. dmy-all.
  10. Web site: Elgin City Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  11. Web site: Montrose Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  12. Web site: Queens Park Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  13. Web site: Stirling Albion Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  14. Web site: Montrose 4–1 Brewick . berwickrangers.com . 31 October 2015 . 5 November 2015 .
  15. Web site: Coughlin named new Berwick boss . SPFL . 6 November 2015 . 6 November 2015 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082535/http://spfl.co.uk/news/article/coughlin-named-new-berwick-boss/ . dead .
  16. Web site: Struggling Arbroath part company with manager Todd Lumsden . BBC Sport . 6 March 2016 . 6 March 2016 .
  17. Web site: Arbroath appoint Dick Campbell as manager . Eric . Nicholson . The Courier . 8 March 2016 . 8 March 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308171857/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/sport/football/league-2/arbroath-appoint-dick-campbell-as-manager-1.927804 . 8 March 2016 .
  18. Web site: Montrose 1–4 East Fife. 26 September 2015. BBC Sport. 2 October 2015.
  19. Web site: Berwick Rangers 0–5 Clyde. 21 November 2015. BBC Sport. 25 November 2015.
  20. Web site: Montrose 1–3 Stirling. 12 December 2015. BBC Sport. 14 December 2015.
  21. Web site: Stirling 1–3 East Fife. 26 December 2015. BBC Sport. 2 January 2016.
  22. Web site: Stirling Albion 7–0 Montrose. 9 February 2016. BBC Sport. 9 February 2016.
  23. Web site: 2015–16 Scottish League Two statistics – Player Discipline . . 16 August 2015.
  24. Web site: 2015–16 Scottish League Two statistics – Club Discipline . . 20 August 2015.
  25. Web site: SPFL monthly awards. www.spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. May 28, 2014. 2015-10-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531033109/http://spfl.co.uk/awards. 2016-05-31. dead.