Berwick Rangers F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Berwick Rangers Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Black & Gold, The Borderers, The Dream Team, The Wee Gers | ||
| Founded | 1881 | ||
| Ground | Shielfield Park, Berwick-upon-Tweed |
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| Capacity | 4,099 (1,366 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Kevin Dixon | ||
| Manager | B Force | ||
| League | Scottish League Two | ||
| 2015–16 | Scottish League Two, 6th | ||
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Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team from Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. They were founded in 1881. What's special about them? They play in the Scottish football league system! This makes them unique, as they are an English team competing in another country's league.
Berwick Rangers play their home games at Shielfield Park. This stadium can hold just over 4,000 fans.
Contents
History of Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers officially started on January 7, 1881. This happened after a football match in the town. It was between millworkers from Dunbar (Scotland) and railway clerks from Newcastle (England). For a long time, people thought the club formed in 1881. However, new research suggests 1884 is more likely. Their first official game was on February 16, 1884. They played against another local team called 'The Royal Oaks' and won 1-0.
The club joined the Scottish Football Association around 1905. They then played in various Scottish leagues. This included the Scottish Border League and the East of Scotland League. It wasn't until 1951 that they joined the main Scottish Football League. They were placed in the C Division, which was a third tier.
In 1955, this division was removed. Berwick Rangers then moved into an enlarged Division B. This was later renamed Division Two. Since then, Berwick Rangers have always played in the Scottish football league system. This is despite often having small crowds and money problems.
The club moved to its current home, Shielfield Park, in 1954. Before that, they played at different places.
Famous Victories and Challenges
Berwick Rangers had an early success in 1954. They beat Dundee 3-0 in the Scottish Cup. They reached the quarter-finals that year. Ten years later, they made it to the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup.
Their most famous moment came in 1967. They beat the mighty Rangers 1-0 in the Scottish Cup! This was a huge shock in Scottish football. It was also their biggest home crowd ever, with 13,365 people watching. This amazing win led to some Rangers players leaving their club. In the next round, Berwick Rangers lost to Hibernian 1-0.
The club won the Scottish Football League Second Division title in 1979. This was under manager Dave Smith. However, they struggled in the 1980s. In 1988-89, they almost went bankrupt. They were even locked out of their stadium for a while.
Despite these tough times, the club kept going. In 1988, Jim Jefferies became manager. He led the team to an amazing 21-game unbeaten run. They avoided going out of business again in 1994.
Later, in 2000, they were promoted back to Division Two. This was under manager Paul Smith. They even managed to get replays against big teams like Rangers and Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Cup.
In 2007, Berwick Rangers won the Third Division championship. This was their first title in 28 years! They also set a new club record for winning many league games in a row.
Recent Times
In 2019, Berwick Rangers faced a big change. They were relegated from the Scottish Professional Football League. This meant they moved into the Lowland Football League. They were the second club ever to drop out of the main Scottish professional league system.
In 2020, the Berwick Rangers Community Foundation was started. This helps the club connect with its local community.
Berwick Rangers set a new club record in 2021. They won a league game 11-0 against Vale of Leithen. This was in the Scottish Lowland League.
Why an English Team in Scottish Football?
Berwick Rangers is one of the few teams in the world that plays in a football league system different from its own country's.
Berwick-upon-Tweed is about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the Scottish border. It's actually closer to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, than to Newcastle upon Tyne, the closest big city in England. The town itself has a long history. It was once part of Scotland and changed hands many times. It finally became part of England in 1482.
The club also used to play in the East of Scotland League. This league includes other teams from the Scottish Borders area. This history helps explain why they joined the Scottish League.
There was also a small issue about the town's identity. After the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, new safety rules were made for stadiums. Berwick Rangers, being an English club, had to follow these rules. This was unique because they were the only English team in the Scottish leagues.
Current Squad
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Players Out on Loan
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Coaching Staff
- Manager: Tam Scobbie
- Assistant manager: Dean Shanks
- Goalkeeping coach: Alex Stewart
- Club physio: Elizabeth Martin
- Kitman: Scott Mckenzie
- Groundsman: Jason Kinnon
- Chief Scout: James Cumming
Club Managers Through the Years
Bobby Ancell (Dec 1950 – Apr 1952)- John Thompson (Aug 1952 – Jan 1953)
- Jerry Kerr (Apr 1953 – Nov 1954)
- Danny McLennan (Nov 1957 – Jan 1960)
- Jimmy McIntosh (Apr 1960– Feb 1963)
- Ian Spence (Aug 1963 – Oct 1966)
- Jock Wallace (Nov 1966 – Jan 1969)
- Harry Melrose (Mar 1969 – Sep 1975)
- Walter Galbraith (Oct 1975 – Dec 1975)
- Gordon Haig (Jan 1976 – Sep 1976)
- Dave Smith (Oct 1976 – Oct 1980)
- Frank Connor (Nov 1980 – May 1982)
- Jim McSherry (Aug 1982 – Feb 1983)
Eric Tait (Feb 1983 – Oct 1987)- Jimmy Thomson (Nov 1987 – Sep 1988)
- Jim Jefferies (Sep 1988 – May 1990)
- Ralph Callachan (Aug 1990 – May 1992)
- Jimmy Crease (Aug 1992 – Jan 1994)
- Tom Hendrie (Jan 1994 – Feb 1996)
- Ian Ross (Mar 1996 – Oct 1996)
- Jimmy Thomson (Nov 1996 – Aug 1997)
- Paul Smith (Sep 1997 – Oct 2004)
- Sandy Clark (Oct 2004 – May 2005)
John Coughlin (Jul 2005 – Oct 2007)- Michael Renwick (Oct 2007 – Apr 2008)
- Jimmy Crease (Apr 2008 – May 2008) (caretaker manager)
- Allan McGonigal (May 2008 – Nov 2008)
- Jimmy Crease (Nov 2008 – Oct 2011)
- Ian Little (Oct 2011 – Jan 2014)
- Colin Cameron (Jan 2014 – Oct 2015
- John Coughlin (Nov 2015 –August 2017)
- Robbie Horn (Aug 2017 – Oct 2018)
- Johnny Harvey (Oct 2018 – May 2019)
- John Brownlie (May 2019 – June 2019)
- Ian Little (June 2019 – May 2021)
- Stuart Malcolm (May 2021 – Oct 2023 )
Club Records
- Record league win: 11–0 v Vale of Leithen, Scottish Lowland League (9 October 2021)
- Record cup win: 8–1 v Vale of Leithen, Scottish Cup First Round (December 1966)
- Record league defeat: 1–9 v Hamilton Academical, Scottish First Division (9 August 1980)
- Record home attendance: 13,365 v Rangers Scottish Cup Third Round (28 January 1967)
- Most goals in a season: 38 by Ken Bowron 1963–64
- Most goals: 115 by Eric Tait 1969–88
- Consecutive league wins: 8, Scottish Third Division 2006–07
- Longest unbeaten league run: 21, Scottish Second Division 1988–89
- Most appearances: 435, Eric Tait 1969–1988
Honours and Trophies
- Scottish League Division Two
- Winners: 1978–79
- Runners-up: 1993–94
- Scottish League Division Three
- Winners: 2006–07
- Runners-up: 1999–00
- East of Scotland League
- Winners (2): 1927–28, 1946–47
- Runners-up (2): 1923–24, 1928–29
- North Northumberland League
- Winners: 1896–97
- Scottish Border League
- Winners: 1898–99
- East of Scotland Shield
- Winners (2): 1980–81, 1983–84
- King Cup
- Winners (7): 1908–09, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1932–33; also won by the Reserves in 1980–81, 1989–90
See also
In Spanish: Berwick Rangers Football Club para niños
