Albion Rovers F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Albion Rovers

Full name	Albion Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Wee Rovers
Founded	1882; 143 years ago (1882)
Ground	Cliftonhill, Coatbridge
Ground Capacity	1,572 (489 seated)
Chairman	Robert Cameron
Manager	Sandy Clark
League	Scottish League One
2015–16	Scottish League One, 6th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are known as "The Wee Rovers." The team currently plays in the Scottish League One, which is the fifth level of the Scottish football league system.

The club started in October 1882. They joined the Scottish Football League in 1903. Albion Rovers stayed in the league for a long time, except for four seasons during the First World War. They were moved down to a lower league in the 2022–23 season.

During their history, they have won three lower league titles. These wins were in 1933–34, 1988–89, and 2014–15. They also moved up to a higher league three other times: in 1937–38, 1947–48, and 2010–11.

Club Ownership and Shares

Albion Rovers FC is a company owned by people who buy shares in it. Shares are like small pieces of ownership. Many of the original shares from 1919 are now "dormant." This means their owners have passed away, and new owners cannot be found.

One person, Anton Fagan, owns the most shares. He has over 20% of the shares that are still active. The club's directors and fans have talked about problems with this share system.

Albion Rovers History

Early Years and First Wins

Cliftonhill, the home stadium of Albion Rovers

Albion Rovers was formed in 1882. It happened when two football teams from Coatbridge, Albion FC and Rovers FC, joined together. They played their games at Meadow Park from that year.

In their first nine years, they reached six local cup finals but lost every one. Finally, in their tenth year, they won their first trophy. They beat Royal Albert 5–2 in the Larkhall Charity Cup Final. Eight days later, they won another trophy, beating Airdrieonians 5–3 in the Airdrie Charity Cup Final.

The club joined the Scottish Football League Second Division in 1903. This happened when the league added more teams. A big success before World War I was winning the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1913–14. They beat Dundee Hibernian 3–0 in the final game.

In 1915, the league stopped having a second division. So, Albion Rovers had to join the Western Football League. After the war, they rejoined the Scottish Football League. They also moved to their current home stadium, Cliftonhill. The first game at Cliftonhill was on 25 December 1919 against St Mirren.

Star Player Jimmy Conlin

Jimmy Conlin was a very fast and clever winger. He played for Albion Rovers from 1901 to 1904. He helped the club win the Scottish Combination Championship in the 1901–02 season.

Later, he moved to Bradford City. He even played for England, the country where he was born, against Scotland in 1906. After that, he was transferred to Manchester City for £1,000. This made him one of the most expensive footballers in the world at that time.

The 1920 Scottish Cup Final

In the 1919–20 season, Albion Rovers finished last in their league. But they had a fantastic run in the Scottish Cup. They beat Rangers in the semi-final. This was a huge achievement for the club.

They then played against Kilmarnock in the Final. They lost the game 3–2. There's a famous local story about their goalkeeper, Joe Shortt, on the morning of the final. It's said that his performance in the game might have been affected by events from the night before.

Albion Rovers stayed in the top league until 1923. During this time, John "Jock" White became the only Albion Rovers player to play for the Scotland national team. He played in a match against Wales.

The club stayed in the Second Division until the 1933–34 season. They won the title that year, finishing just one point ahead of Dunfermline Athletic. Before the Second World War, Albion Rovers spent most of five seasons in the top league. They continued playing in special leagues during the war and managed to stay strong.

Post-War Football and Jock Stein

The main league returned fully in 1946–47. Albion Rovers were placed in the 'B' Division after the league was reorganized. They also lost two key players, Willie Findlay and Johnny McIlhatton, who moved to bigger clubs.

However, with Jock Stein in the team, Albion Rovers managed to get promoted in 1947–48. Jock Stein played 215 games for the club from 1942 to 1950. They only stayed in the First Division for one season, getting just eight points in 1948–49. They quickly returned to the 'B' Division. After this, Albion Rovers were not a major force in Scottish football for many years. They mostly stayed in the Second Division.

Exciting Moments in the 1960s and 1970s

Even though they were in the lower divisions, there were still exciting times for fans at Cliftonhill. In 1965–66, they had a huge 8–2 win against local rivals Airdrieonians in the League Cup.

They also reached the League Cup quarter-finals in 1973–74, beating Airdrie again. They led 2–0 in the first game against Kilmarnock. But they lost the second game 5–2, so they were knocked out 5–4 overall.

Some famous players from this time include midfielder Tony Green. He is one of the few players to be in the Hall of Fame for three different clubs. Goalkeeper Jim Brown also played for Scotland.

In the 1975–76 season, the league changed again. Albion Rovers were placed in the new Second Division, which was now the third level of Scottish football.

The 1980s and 1990s: Biscuit Kit and Promotions

In 1983, Albion Rovers made headlines for their unique kit. A sweet company called Tunnock's became their shirt sponsor. The team's shirt was designed to look like the gold wrapper with red stripes of their caramel wafer biscuit. This made Albion Rovers one of the few clubs with a kit inspired by a biscuit wrapper!

In the 1988–89 season, the club won the Second Division championship. However, they only stayed in the First Division for one season. After that, they often finished at the bottom of the lowest division during the 1990s.

Challenges in the Third Division

Albion Rovers found themselves in the new Scottish Football League Third Division. They finished last in its first season, 1994–95. To save money, the club thought about selling Cliftonhill and sharing a stadium with Airdrieonians.

However, fans started a "Rescue The Rovers" campaign. They gathered shareholders to vote against the idea and remove the board of directors. This was a good decision, as Airdrieonians later struggled with their new stadium costs.

After another last-place finish in 1999–2000, the club tried to improve. They made the team full-time, meaning players trained all week. Many of these full-time players were young people given jobs through a government program.

Albion Rovers had chances for promotion in 2001–02 and 2002–03 but just missed out both times. The full-time team became too expensive, so the club had to stop it to control costs.

In 2004, directors again tried to sell Cliftonhill and move to Airdrie. But shareholders voted against it. Albion Rovers has stayed at Cliftonhill ever since. The famous old stadium celebrated its 100th birthday in 2019. An exhibition was held at Coatbridge's Summerlee Museum to mark the event.

125th Anniversary and Cup Runs

The 2006–07 season was special as the club celebrated its 125th anniversary. They had different events and made special souvenirs. They even wore a special kit that mixed their original blue colors with the yellow they adopted later.

The club also reached the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup. This was their first semi-final since 1921. They lost that match 4–1 to Ross County.

Two Exciting Promotions

In the 2010–11 season, Albion Rovers played very well late in the season. They finished 2nd and earned promotion! They beat Queens Park in the play-off semi-final and Annan Athletic in the final. Hundreds of fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate with the players after the final whistle.

The 2011–12 season was their first in a higher division in 22 years. They had a great 7–2 win over Airdrie United. The team finished 9th and had to play in the play-offs again, but this time to stay in the league.

Albion Rovers won again in even more exciting ways. Scott Chaplain scored a last-minute goal against Elgin City in the semi-final. Then, they won on penalties against Stranraer in the final. This meant Albion Rovers had been promoted and then stayed in the higher league for the first time since the 1930s.

They were relegated again in 2012–13. But they won the 2014–15 League Two title with a 3–2 win over Clyde. They spent three seasons in League One before being relegated back to the 4th level in 2017–18.

Scottish Cup Quarter Final Run

In 2013–14, Albion Rovers had their best cup run in many decades. They reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup against Rangers. They had already beaten top-flight team Motherwell 1–0 in an earlier round.

They drew 1–1 with Rangers at Ibrox after a late goal. But they lost the replay game 2–0.

League Two and Lowland League Challenges

After being relegated to League Two in 2018, Albion Rovers struggled. They often had to fight to avoid the 'Club 42’ play-off spot, which could lead to relegation. Under manager Kevin Harper, they made a great escape in 2018–19. They were in 9th place when football stopped in March 2020 due to COVID-19.

However, in the 2022–23 season, Albion Rovers finished last in the league. They played against The Spartans in a play-off and lost 2–1 over two games. This meant they were relegated to the Lowland Football League for the 2023–24 season.

Scottish Record Penalty Shoot-out

On 14 October 2020, Albion Rovers set a Scottish record. They scored 15 penalties in a row in a shootout against Stranraer in a League Cup match. They won the shootout 15–14. Both teams together set a record of 28 consecutive penalties scored before Stranraer missed their 15th kick and Albion Rovers scored theirs to win.

Club Honours and Achievements

• SFL Division Two (second level):
  • Winners 1933–34
  • Runners-up 1913–14, 1937–38, 1947–48
• SFL Second Division (third level): Winners 1988–89
• SPFL League Two (fourth level): Winners 2014–15
• Scottish Football League Third Division (fourth level): Runners-up 2010–11
• Scottish Cup: Runners-up 1919–20
• Scottish Qualifying Cup: 1913–14
• Lanarkshire League: 1900–01
• Lanarkshire Cup: 1899–1900, 1920–21, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1981–82, 1986–87
• Scottish Football Combination: 1913–14
• SFL Promotion to Second Division play-offs: 2010–11; 2011–12

Club Records

Biggest win: 12–0 against Airdriehill (Scottish Cup, 3 September 1887)

Biggest defeat: 1–11 against Partick Thistle (Scottish League Cup, 11 August 1993)

Biggest home attendance: 27,381 against Rangers (Scottish Cup, 8 February 1936)

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Alfie Halliwell (On Loan from Rangers) 2 DF Barry Campbell 4 DF Alan Reid (captain) 5 DF Conor Duffy 6 DF Chris Neeson 8 MF Daniel Hunter

No. Position Player 9 FW Tylar Denholm 10 DF Nathan Brown 11 FW Sonny Aluko 15 DF Devan McColl 16 DF Barry Duncan

Club Staff and Management

Management Team

• Manager: Sandy Clark
• Assistant manager: George Paterson
• Goalkeeping coach: Vacant
• Club doctor: Dr Chris Ide
• Club physio: Jade Shiels
• Kit manager: Alex Cooper

Board of Directors

• Chairman: Robert Cameron
• Directors: Hugh Morrison, John Allan and Ben Kearney
• Honorary president: Lew McWilliam
• Honorary vice president: Gordon Lind
• Football Secretary: Colin Woodward

Other Albion Rovers Teams

There are other football clubs named Albion Rovers in different countries. One is from Newport, Wales, and plays in the Gwent County League. It was named after the Coatbridge team by people who moved there from Scotland. There are also clubs with the same name in Australia and the Republic of Ireland.

See also

In Spanish: Albion Rovers Football Club para niños