Albion Rovers F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Albion Rovers Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Wee Rovers | |||
| Founded | 1882 | |||
| Ground | Cliftonhill, Coatbridge | |||
| Capacity | 1,572 (489 seated) | |||
| Chairman | Robert Cameron | |||
| Manager | Sandy Clark | |||
| League | Scottish League One | |||
| 2015–16 | Scottish League One, 6th | |||
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Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, Scotland. They are known as "The Wee Rovers." The club plays in the Lowland Football League, which is the fifth level of Scottish football.
Albion Rovers started in October 1882. They joined the Scottish Football League in 1903. The team has won three lower division league titles. These wins were in 1933–34, 1988–89, and 2014–15. They also earned promotion to higher leagues three other times. In the 2022–23 season, they were moved down to a lower league.
Contents
Who Owns Albion Rovers?
Albion Rovers FC is a private company. It is owned by people who buy shares in the club. Many of these shares are very old. Some original owners have passed away. Their families are hard to find. This means some shares are "dormant."
The biggest shareholder owns a large part of the active shares. This person is Anton Fagan. He works for the Scottish Football Association.
Club History
How Albion Rovers Started
Albion Rovers was formed in 1882. Two local teams from Coatbridge, Albion FC and Rovers FC, joined together. They first played at a ground called Meadow Park. For their first nine years, they reached six local cup finals but lost them all.
Finally, in their tenth year, they won a trophy! They beat Royal Albert 5–2 in the Larkhall Charity Cup Final. Just eight days later, they won another cup. They defeated Airdrieonians 5–3 in the Airdrie Charity Cup Final.
The club joined the Scottish Football League Second Division in 1903. This was a big step for them. Their best success before World War I was winning the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1913–14. They beat Dundee Hibernian 3–0 in the final match.
In 1915, the league changed. Rovers had to join the Western Football League. After the war, they rejoined the Scottish League. They also moved to their current home, Cliftonhill. The first game at Cliftonhill was on December 25, 1919. They played against St Mirren.
Famous Player: Jimmy Conlin
Jimmy Conlin was a very fast and clever winger. He played for Rovers from 1901 to 1904. He helped the club win the Scottish Combination Championship in 1901–02.
After leaving Rovers, he moved to Bradford City. He even played for England against Scotland in 1906. Later, 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, Rovers finished last in their league. But they had an amazing run in the Scottish Cup! They beat the famous team Rangers in the semi-final. This was a huge upset!
They then played against Kilmarnock in the Final. The game was very close, but Rovers lost 3–2. It was still one of the club's greatest moments.
Rovers stayed in the top league for a few more years. Then they were moved down in 1923. During this time, John "Jock" White became the only Rovers player to play for the Scotland national team. He played against Wales.
The club stayed in the Second Division for a long time. In the 1933–34 season, they won the title! They finished just one point ahead of Dunfermline Athletic. Before World War II, Rovers spent most seasons in the top league. They managed to stay strong during the war years.
After World War II
The league returned fully in 1946–47. Rovers were placed in the 'B' Division. This was part of a league change. Two of their best players, Willie Findlay and Johnny McIlhatton, left the club. Findlay went to Rangers, and McIlhatton joined Everton.
Jock Stein played 215 matches for Rovers from 1942 to 1950. With him on the team, Rovers won promotion in 1947–48. But they only stayed in the First Division for one season. They quickly returned to the 'B' Division. This was when Rovers stopped being a major force in Scottish football. They spent many years in the Second Division.
The 1960s and 1970s
Even though they were in lower divisions, there were still exciting times for Rovers fans. In 1965–66, they beat their local rivals Airdrieonians 8–2 in a League Cup match. They also reached the League Cup quarter-finals in 1973–74. Again, they beat Airdrie along the way. They took a 2–0 lead against Kilmarnock in the first game. But they lost the second game 5–2 and were knocked out.
Some great players from this time include Tony Green. He is famous for being in the Hall of Fame at three different clubs. Goalkeeper Jim Brown also played for Rovers. Both players played for the Scotland national team.
In the 1975–76 season, Rovers were placed in the new Second Division. This was now the third level of the Scottish League.
The 1980s and 1990s
In 1983, Albion Rovers made headlines for their unique kit. A company called Tunnock's became their shirt sponsor. The team's shirt was changed to look like a Tunnock's caramel wafer bar. It was gold with red stripes! This made Rovers one of the few clubs to wear a kit inspired by a biscuit wrapper.
Players like Vic Kasule and Bernie Slaven brought excitement to the team in the mid-1980s. In the 1988–89 season, the club won the Second Division championship. However, they only stayed in the First Division for one season. They often finished at the bottom of the lowest division in the 1990s.
The Third Division Years
Rovers ended up in the new Scottish Football League Third Division. This was the fourth level of Scottish football. They finished last in its first season, 1994–95. To save money, the club's board wanted to sell Cliftonhill. They planned to share a ground with Airdrieonians.
But fans started a "Rescue The Rovers" campaign. They gathered shareholders to stop the plan. The fans won and removed the board members. This was a good decision. Airdrieonians later struggled with their new ground and closed down.
After another last-place finish in 1999–2000, the club tried to improve. They made the team full-time. Many of these full-time players were young people. Rovers had chances for promotion in 2001–02 and 2002–03. But they missed out both times. The full-time team was too expensive. The club had to go back to being part-time to control costs.
In 2004, directors tried again to sell Cliftonhill. But shareholders voted against it. Albion Rovers have 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 Promotions
The 2006–07 season marked the club's 125th anniversary. Many special events and souvenirs were created. A special kit was worn. It combined the club's original blue colours 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 4–1 to Ross County.
In 2010–11, Rovers played very well late in the season. They finished second and earned promotion! They beat Queens Park in the play-off semi-final. Then they defeated Annan Athletic in the final. Hundreds of Rovers fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate with the players. It was a memorable moment!
The 2011–12 season was their first in a higher division in 22 years. They had some great moments, like a 7–2 win over Airdrie United. But they finished ninth and had to play in the play-offs again. This time, it was to stay in the league. Rovers won again in exciting fashion. Scott Chaplain scored a last-minute goal against Elgin City in the semi-final. They then won on penalties against Stranraer in the final. This meant Rovers had been promoted and then stayed up for the first time since the 1930s.
They were moved down again in 2012–13. But Rovers won the 2014–15 League Two title. They beat Clyde 3–2. They spent three seasons in League One. Then they were moved back to the fourth level in 2017–18.
Scottish Cup Quarter Final Run
In 2013–14, Rovers had their best cup run in many years. They reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. They even beat top-flight team Motherwell 1–0 in an earlier round. In the quarter-final, they played Rangers at Ibrox. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. But Rovers lost 2–0 in the replay match.
League 2 and Lowland League
After being moved down to League 2 in 2018, Rovers found it tough. They often fought to avoid being moved down again. Under manager Kevin Harper in 2018–19, they made a great escape. They were in ninth place when football stopped in March 2020 due to COVID-19.
However, in the 2022–23 season, Rovers finished last. They played against The Spartans in a play-off. They lost 2–1 over two games. This meant they were moved down to the Lowland Football League for the 2023–24 season.
Scottish Record Penalty Shoot-out
On October 14, 2020, Albion Rovers set a Scottish record. They scored the most consecutive penalties in a shoot-out. They beat Stranraer 15–14 in a League Cup match. Both teams scored 28 penalties in a row! Then Stranraer missed their 15th kick. Rovers scored theirs to win.
Club Achievements
- Scottish Football League First Division (second level):
- Winners 1933–34
- Second Place 1913–14, 1937–38, 1947–48
- Scottish Football League Second Division (third level): Winners 1988–89
- SPFL League Two (fourth level): Winners 2014–15
- Scottish Football League Third Division (fourth level): Second Place 2010–11
- Scottish Cup: Second Place 1919–20
- Scottish Qualifying Cup: 1913–14
- Lanarkshire Football 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, September 3, 1887)
- Biggest defeat: 1–11 against Partick Thistle (Scottish League Cup, August 11, 1993)
- Biggest home crowd: 27,381 against Rangers (Scottish Cup, February 8, 1936)
Club Management
Current Management
- Manager: Sandy Clark
- Assistant manager: George Paterson
- Player/coach: Michael Paton
Other Teams Named Albion Rovers
A team called Albion Rovers in Newport, Wales, was named after the Coatbridge club. This was done by Scottish people living there. There are also clubs with the same name in Australia and the Republic of Ireland.
Images for kids
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The official logo of Albion Rovers Football Club.
See also
In Spanish: Albion Rovers Football Club para niños
