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Arbroath
Arbroath FC crest.svg
Full name Arbroath Football Club
Nickname(s) The Red Lichties, The Smokies
Founded 1 July 1878; 147 years ago (1878-07-01)
Ground Gayfield Park, Arbroath
Ground Capacity 6,600 (861 Seated)
Chairman Brian Cargill
Co-managers David Gold
Colin Hamilton
League Scottish League Two
2015–16 Scottish League Two, 9th
Third colours

Arbroath Football Club is a Scottish football team from the town of Arbroath, Angus. They are a semi-professional club, meaning some players are full-time and others have other jobs. The club was started in 1878. They play their home games at Gayfield Park.

The team wears maroon-coloured kits. Their nickname is "The Red Lichties." This name comes from the red light that used to guide fishing boats safely back to Arbroath harbour from the North Sea. Arbroath FC has strong local rivalries with nearby teams like Montrose, Forfar Athletic, and Brechin City.

Club History

World Record Score

Arbroath FC holds a special world record in football history. On 12 September 1885, they won a Scottish Cup match against Bon Accord with an amazing score of 36–0. This is the biggest win ever in a senior football match worldwide. In that game, a player named Jocky Petrie scored 13 goals, which is also a record for a single player in a British senior match.

Recent Seasons

Arbroath has had many ups and downs in recent years. In the 1996–97 season, they finished last in the Third Division. But the very next season, they were promoted to the Second Division. They then moved up to the First Division, where they stayed for a few years.

In the 2002–03 season, they struggled and were relegated. They went back down to the Third Division in 2004–05.

Under manager John McGlashan, the team started to improve. They reached the play-offs for promotion in 2005–06 and 2006–07. In the 2007–08 season, they won the play-offs and were promoted back to the Second Division.

In the 2009–10 season, after a change in managers, Arbroath reached the play-off final but lost to Forfar Athletic.

Winning Titles

On 23 April 2011, Arbroath won their first major title in 133 years. They beat local rivals Montrose 4–1 to win the 2010–11 Third Division title. This meant they were promoted back to the Second Division.

The next few seasons were a mix of good and bad results. In 2013–14, they were relegated again. After some changes in management, Dick Campbell became manager in March 2016. He helped the team avoid another relegation.

The 2016–17 season was a huge success under Campbell. They won the League Two title in the final game of the season. This was their second league title in a few years.

The 2018–19 season was also fantastic. Arbroath won the League One title, earning their second promotion in three years. This was the first time in 25 years that all four Angus teams were in the same league.

Championship Challenge

After being promoted, Arbroath played in the second tier for the first time since 2003. They did very well, finishing 5th in the season. They even beat Dundee United, who were the champions that season.

Their great form continued into the 2021–22 season. They were close to being promoted to the top league for the first time since 1975. They finished second in the Championship. They then played in the promotion play-offs but lost to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in a penalty shootout.

In the 2022–23 season, Arbroath managed to stay in the Championship on the very last day.

Recent Changes

During the 2023–24 season, manager Dick Campbell and his coaching team left the club. Jim McIntyre took over as manager. However, the team faced many injuries and was relegated back to League One.

At the start of the 2024–25 season, Jim McIntyre was replaced by co-player-managers Colin Hamilton and David Gold. On 12 April 2025, Arbroath became champions of Scottish League One after a 4–0 win against Stenhousemuir.

Gayfield Park Stadium

Gayfield Park is the home stadium for Arbroath FC. It is famous for being the closest football ground to the sea in Britain. On stormy days, waves can even crash against the walls around the stadium! It's a traditional stadium with standing areas on three sides and covered stands all around.

Team Rivalries

Arbroath has a main rivalry with Montrose. Their first game against each other was in 1888, which Arbroath won 6–2. They also have rivalries with other local Angus clubs, Brechin City and Forfar Athletic. In the 2018–2019 season, all four of these teams played in the same league.

First-team Squad

No. Position Player
1 Scotland GK Aidan McAdams
2 Scotland DF Aaron Steele
3 Scotland DF Colin Hamilton
4 Scotland DF Jack Wilkie
5 Scotland DF Thomas O'Brien (captain)
6 Scotland DF Aaron Muirhead
7 Scotland MF David Gold
8 Scotland MF Ryan Flynn
9 Scotland FW Calum Gallagher
10 Scotland FW Gavin Reilly
11 Scotland MF Ryan Dow
12 Scotland MF Scott Stewart
No. Position Player
14 Scotland MF Ross Callachan
16 Scotland DF Craig Watson
17 Scotland MF Findlay Marshall (on loan from Aberdeen)
18 England MF Arran Pettifer
19 Bulgaria FW Nikolay Todorov
21 Scotland GK Jordan Pettigrew
22 Scotland MF Rocco Hickey-Fugaccia
23 Scotland MF Lennon Connolly
24 Scotland DF Luke Kenny (on loan from St Mirren)
25 Scotland MF Harry Cochrane
32 Scotland MF Ali Spalding

Club Officials

Coaching Staff

  • Co-managers: David Gold and Colin Hamilton
  • Goalkeeping coach: Gary Maley
  • Club doctor: Callum Innes
  • Physiotherapist: Mark Dryden
  • Analyst: Ryan Beattie

Executive Team

  • Chairman: Brian Cargill
  • Chief executive officer: Paul Reid
  • Secretary: Gary Callon
  • Directors: Jon Bruce, Scott Milne, Bill Ogilvie, Barclay Scott
  • Finance director: Robert Sim
  • Club ambassador: Bobby Linn

Club Managers

  • Scotland Bob McGlashan (1927–1946)
  • Scotland Archie Anderson (1946–1949)
  • Scotland Alec Cheyne (1949–1955)
  • Scotland Tommy Gray (1955–1957)
  • Scotland Chris Anderson (1957–1960)
  • Scotland John Prentice (1960–1962)
  • Scotland Bert Henderson (1962–1980)
  • Scotland Ian Stewart (1980–82)
  • Scotland George Fleming (1982–1985)
  • Scotland Jimmy Bone (1985–1987)
  • Scotland John Young (1987–1990)
  • Scotland Ian Gibson (1990–1991)
  • Scotland Walter Borthwick (1991)
  • Scotland Mickey Lawson (1991–1992)
  • Scotland Danny McGrain (1992–1994)
  • Scotland Jocky Scott (1994)
  • Scotland George Mackie (1994–1995) with Scotland Donald Park (1994)
  • Scotland John Brogan (1995–1996)
  • Scotland Tommy Campbell (1996–1997)
  • Scotland David Baikie (1997–2000)
  • Scotland John Brownlie (2000–2003)
  • Scotland Steve Kirk (2003–2004)
  • Scotland Harry Cairney (2004–2005)
  • Scotland John McGlashan (2005–2009)
  • Scotland Jim Weir (2009–2010)
  • Scotland Paul Sheerin (2010–2014)
  • Scotland Allan Moore (2014–2015)
  • England Todd Lumsden (2015–2016)
  • Scotland Dick Campbell (2016–2023)
  • Scotland Jim McIntyre (2023–2024)
  • Scotland David Gold and Scotland Colin Hamilton (2024–)

Club Honours (Trophies)

League Titles

  • Level 2 (Championship): Runners-up: 1934–35, 1958–59, 1967–68, 1971–72, 2021–22
  • Level 3 (League One): Winners: 2018–19, 2024–25 Runners-up: 2000–01, 2011–12
  • Level 4 (League Two): Winners 2010–11, 2016–17 Runners-up: 1997–98, 2006–07 Play-off winners 2007–08

National Cup Competitions

  • Scottish Cup Semi-finalists: 1946–47
  • Scottish League Cup Semi-finalists: 1959–60
  • Scottish Youth Cup Semi-finalists: 2001–02
  • Scottish Challenge Cup Semi-finalists: 2012–13
  • Scottish Qualifying Cup: Winners 1903 Runners-up: 1899, 1912

Other Trophies

  • Reserve League Cup 2003
  • Combined Reserve League 1964
  • Northern League 1891–92
  • Forfarshire County League (joint) 1908–09
  • Dewar Shield 1937–38
  • Arbroath was the first team to win the Forfarshire Cup in 1883. They have won this trophy 17 times.

Club Records

  • Biggest win: 36–0 vs Bon Accord, 12 September 1885, Scottish Cup (This is a World record!)
  • Biggest defeat: 1–9 vs Celtic, 25 August 1993, League Cup
  • Highest home attendance: 13,510 vs Rangers, 23 February 1952, Scottish Cup
  • Highest average home attendance: 4,780, 1959–60 season (over 17 games)
  • Most capped player: Ned Doig, 5 times for Scotland (2 while playing for Arbroath)
  • Most league appearances: 426 games, by Tom Cargill, from 1966–80
  • Most league goals in a season by a player: 45 goals, by David Easson, in 1958–59

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Arbroath Football Club para niños

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