2019–20 Scottish League Two Explained

Pixels:250
Competition:Scottish League Two
Season:2019–20
Dates:3 August 2019 – 15 April 2020
Winners:Cove Rangers
Promoted:Cove Rangers
Matches:137
Total Goals:414
League Topscorer:Mitch Megginson (24 goals)[1] [2]
Biggest Home Win:Cove Rangers 5–0 Edinburgh City (3 August 2019)
Annan Athletic 6–1 Cove Rangers (30 November 2019)
Biggest Away Win:Stirling Albion 1–7 Cove Rangers (10 March 2020)
Highest Scoring:Albion Rovers 4–4 Cove Rangers (10 August 2019)
Stirling Albion 1–7 Cove Rangers (10 March 2020)
Longest Wins:6 matches:
Cove Rangers
Cowdenbeath
Longest Unbeaten:8 matches:
Cove Rangers
Longest Winless:11 matches:
Brechin City
Longest Losses:6 matches:
Annan Athletic
Highest Attendance:1,264
Cove Rangers 2–0 Elgin City (28 December 2019)
Lowest Attendance:194
Edinburgh City 4–0 Stenhousemuir (29 October 2019)
Attendance:66,675
Average Attendance:486(18)
Prevseason:2018–19
Nextseason:2020–21
Updated:1 May 2020

The 2019–20 Scottish League Two (known as Ladbrokes League Two for sponsorship reasons) was the 26th season in the current format of 10 teams in the fourth-tier of Scottish football. Ten teams contested the league: Albion Rovers, Annan Athletic, Brechin City, Cove Rangers, Cowdenbeath, Edinburgh City, Elgin City, Queen's Park, Stenhousemuir and Stirling Albion.

The season began on 3 August 2019 and was scheduled to end on 2 May 2020.[3] On 13 March 2020 all SPFL leagues were indefinitely suspended due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.[4] On 8 April, with the pandemic continuing, the SPFL board proposed to curtail the 2019 - 20 League Two season and use the points per game earned by each team to date as the final standings.[5] The plan was approved on 15 April, meaning the league was declared over and Cove Rangers were crowned champions.[6]

Teams

The following teams have changed division since the 2018–19 season.

To League Two

Promoted from Highland Football League

Relegated from League One

From League Two

Relegated to Lowland Football League

Promoted to League One

Stadia and locations

Albion RoversAnnan Athletic
CliftonhillGalabankBalmoral Stadium
Capacity: 1,238[7] Capacity: 2,504[8] Capacity: 4,123[9] Capacity: 2,602
CowdenbeathEdinburgh City
Central ParkAinslie Park[10]
Capacity: 4,309[11] Capacity: 3,534
Elgin CityQueen's ParkStenhousemuir
Borough BriggsOchilview ParkForthbank Stadium
Capacity: 4,520[12] Capacity: 51,866[13] Capacity: 3,746[14] Capacity: 3,808[15]

Personnel and kits

TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
Albion RoversJomaK & T Plant Hire Ltd
Annan Athletic HalbroM & S Engineering
Brechin CityPendleGlencadam distillery
Cove RangersAdidasACE Group
CowdenbeathErreaDelta 70 Mfg Ltd
Edinburgh CityMacronForth Capital
Elgin CityEV2 SportswearMcDonald & Munro
Queen's ParkUnder ArmourIrn-Bru
StenhousemuirUhlsportLOC Hire
Stirling AlbionMacron

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
Brechin City Barry SmithSacked19 August 2019[16] 10th Mark Wilson4 September 2019[17]
Stenhousemuir Colin McMenaminSacked17 September 2019[18] 8th Davie Irons25 September 2019[19]
Queen's Park Mark RobertsSacked31 December 2019[20] 7th Ray McKinnon2 January 2020[21]

League summary

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 180 games, with each team playing 36.

Second half of season

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Mitch MegginsonCove Rangers24
2 Shane SutherlandElgin City16
3 Jamie MassonCove Rangers15
4 Salim Kouider-AïssaQueen's Park13
5 Declan ByrneAlbion Rovers11

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstScore DateRef
Tommy MuirAnnan AthleticCove Rangers6–1 (H)30 November 2019[22]
Darryl DuffyStirling AlbionAlbion Rovers3–0 (A)4 January 2020[23]

Attendances

Awards

Monthly awards

MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthRef.
ManagerClubPlayerClub
August Paul HartleyCove Rangers Declan GlassCove Rangers
September Gary BollanCowdenbeath Craig Barr
October Gavin PriceElgin City Shane Sutherland
November Mark RobertsQueen's Park Salim Kouider AïssaQueen's Park
December James McDonaughEdinburgh City Liam Henderson
January Paul HartleyCove Rangers Mitch Megginson
February Ray McKinnonQueen's Park Dylan BikeyStirling Albion

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Top Scorers - Scottish League Two . BBC Sport . BBC . 10 August 2019.
  2. Web site: Scottish League Two Performance Stats 2019–20 . . 4 August 2019.
  3. Web site: Key dates for 2019/20 . . 17 April 2019 . 30 April 2019.
  4. Web site: Coronavirus joint response group update. Scottish Professional Football League . 13 March 2020.
  5. Web site: SPFL: Clubs to vote on lower leagues; Premiership decision on hold . BBC Sport . BBC . 8 April 2020 . 8 April 2020.
  6. Web site: Dundee Utd, Raith & Cove win titles & reconstruction talks start after Dundee vote . BBC Sport . BBC . 15 April 2020 . 15 April 2020.
  7. Web site: Albion Rovers Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  8. Web site: Annan Athletic Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  9. Web site: Brechin City Football Club . Scottish Football Ground Guide . 11 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160410095612/http://www.footballgroundguide.com/scotland//hibernian.htm . 10 April 2016 . dead . dmy-all .
  10. News: Edinburgh City and Spartans confirm three-season groundshare . Edinburgh Evening News . Ross . Pilcher . 29 March 2017 . 28 April 2017.
  11. Web site: Cowdenbeath Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  12. Web site: Elgin City Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  13. Web site: Queens Park Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  14. Web site: Stenhousemuir Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  15. Web site: Stirling Albion Football Club. Scottish Professional Football League . 11 November 2013.
  16. Web site: Barry Smith: Brechin City part company with manager after winless start in League Two . BBC Sport . 19 August 2019 . 28 September 2020.
  17. Web site: Brechin City: Mark Wilson is named new manager of League Two side . BBC Sport . 4 September 2019 . 28 September 2020.
  18. Web site: Stenhousemuir: Colin McMenamin sacked after 10 months in charge . BBC Sport . 18 September 2019 . 28 September 2020.
  19. Web site: Irons named Stenhousemuir boss . Scottish Professional Football League . 26 September 2019 . 28 September 2020.
  20. Web site: Queen's Park: Boss Mark Roberts leaves Hampden club by mutual consent . BBC Sport . BBC . 31 December 2019 . 28 September 2020.
  21. Web site: Queen's Park name Ray McKinnon their new head coach . BBC Sport . BBC . 2 January 2020 . 28 September 2020.
  22. Web site: Annan Athletic v Cove Rangers. 30 November 2019. BBC Sport.
  23. Web site: Albion Rovers v Stirling Albion. 4 January 2020. BBC Sport.