2019–20 Lowland Football League

The 2019–20 Scottish Lowland Football League was the seventh season of the Lowland Football League, the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. East Kilbride were the reigning champions.

Lowland League
Season2019–20
Dates27 July 2019 – 13 April 2020
ChampionsKelty Hearts
RelegatedNone
Matches played195
Goals scored713 (3.66 per match)
Top goalscorerNathan Austin
(37 goals)[1]
Biggest home winKelty Hearts 11–0 Vale of Leithen
(14 December 2019)
Biggest away winVale of Leithen 0–7 Kelty Hearts
(24 August 2019)
Highest scoringKelty Hearts 11–0 Vale of Leithen
(14 December 2019)
Longest winning run14 matches:
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic
Longest unbeaten run21 matches:
Kelty Hearts
Longest winless run15 matches:
Edinburgh University
Longest losing run8 matches:
Vale of Leithen
Highest attendance1,510[2]
Kelty Hearts 3–2 Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic
(29 February 2020)

Berwick Rangers became the second club to join the league via relegation from the SPFL, having lost the previous season's League Two play-off against Cove Rangers. East of Scotland League champions Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic were promoted to the league, replacing Whitehill Welfare who were relegated. Edusport Academy renamed to Caledonian Braves prior to the season.

The season began on 27 July 2019 and was scheduled to end on 18 April 2020, but on 13 March the league was indefinitely suspended due to the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak.[3] A points per game formula was subsequently used to determine the final standings, with Kelty Hearts declared champions on 13 April.[4]

Teams
Location of teams in 2019–20 Scottish Lowland Football League

The following teams changed division after the 2018–19 season.

To Lowland League

Relegated from League Two

Promoted from East of Scotland League

From Lowland League

Relegated to East of Scotland League

Folded

Stadia and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity Seats
Berwick Rangers Berwick-upon-Tweed Shielfield Park 4,099 1,366
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic Bonnyrigg New Dundas Park 2,200 0
BSC Glasgow Alloa Recreation Park[lower-alpha 1] 3,100 919
Caledonian Braves Motherwell Alliance Park 500 100
Civil Service Strollers Edinburgh Christie Gillies Park 1,569 100
Cumbernauld Colts Cumbernauld Broadwood Stadium 8,086 8,086
Dalbeattie Star Dalbeattie Islecroft Stadium 1,320 100
East Kilbride East Kilbride K Park 660 400
East Stirlingshire Falkirk Falkirk Stadium[lower-alpha 2] 7,937 7,937
Edinburgh University Edinburgh New Peffermill Stadium 1,100 100
Gala Fairydean Rovers Galashiels 3G Arena, Netherdale 2,000 500
Gretna 2008 Gretna Raydale Park 1,030 138
Kelty Hearts Kelty New Central Park 2,181 353
The Spartans Edinburgh Ainslie Park 3,612 534
University of Stirling Stirling Forthbank Stadium[lower-alpha 3] 3,808 2,508
Vale of Leithen Innerleithen Victoria Park 1,500 0
Notes
  1. BSC Glasgow are ground-sharing with Alloa Athletic due to the lack of a suitable venue in Glasgow.
  2. East Stirlingshire are ground-sharing with Falkirk.
  3. University of Stirling are ground-sharing with Stirling Albion.

All grounds are equipped with floodlights, except Victoria Park (Vale of Leithen).

Personnel and kits
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Berwick Rangers Ian Little Euan Smith Hummel Michael Guthrie Developments
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic Robbie Horn Jonathan Stewart Macron G. Fitzsimmons and Son
BSC Glasgow Stephen Swift Ross McMillan Joma Nicholson Accountancy
Caledonian Braves Ricky Waddell Alan Reid Macron
Civil Service Strollers Gary Jardine Mark McConnell Legea Futurity Financial Services
Cumbernauld Colts Craig McKinlay & James Orr Stephen O'Neill Uhlsport MES Ltd
Dalbeattie Star Ritchie Maxwell Vinnie Parker Joma Solway Plant Hire
East Kilbride Craig Malcolm Joma Enviro-Clean
East Stirlingshire Derek Ure Jamie Barclay EV2 Sportswear Central Industrial Services
Edinburgh University Dorian Ogunro Finn Daniels-Yeomans PlayerLayer TWEDEX
Gala Fairydean Rovers Neil Hastings Danny Galbraith Adidas Five Star Taxis
Gretna 2008 Rowan Alexander Joe Jackson Macron Welzh Wertzeug
Kelty Hearts Barry Ferguson Gary Cennerazzo Joma The Conservatory Converters
The Spartans Douglas Samuel Adam Corbett Macron Arthur McKay
University of Stirling Chris Geddes Angus Mailer VSN Mackay Clinic
Vale of Leithen Chris Anderson Ger Rossi Adidas WillSweep

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
East Kilbride Stuart Malcolm Signed by Forfar Athletic 10 November 2019[5] 8th
Gretna 2008 Chris Humphrey Sacked 30 November 2019[6] 14th Rowan Alexander 2 December 2019[7]

League summary

League table

With the season not being fully completed, a points per game formula was subsequently used to determine the final standings, with Kelty Hearts declared champions on 13 April.[4] Only two teams' league positions were changed as a result; with BSC Glasgow's 2.32 points average moving them past the 2.04 of East Stirlingshire for third place.[8][9]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG
1 Kelty Hearts (C) 25 22 2 1 95 17 +78 68 2.72
2 Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic 24 20 2 2 70 22 +48 62 2.58
3 BSC Glasgow[lower-alpha 1] 22 16 3 3 58 21 +37 51 2.32
4 East Stirlingshire 26 17 2 7 77 29 +48 53 2.04
5 The Spartans 25 16 1 8 49 32 +17 49 1.96
6 Civil Service Strollers 23 12 3 8 40 38 +2 39 1.70
7 East Kilbride 23 11 4 8 43 24 +19 37 1.61
8 Caledonian Braves 26 11 3 12 57 55 +2 36 1.38
9 Cumbernauld Colts 27 10 6 11 49 50 −1 36 1.33
10 University of Stirling 25 9 4 12 28 44 −16 31 1.24
11 Gala Fairydean Rovers 25 7 6 12 39 55 −16 27 1.08
12 Berwick Rangers 24 6 6 12 32 41 −9 24 1.00
13 Gretna 2008 24 2 6 16 21 62 −41 12 0.50
14 Edinburgh University 25 2 6 17 18 66 −48 12 0.48
15 Dalbeattie Star 23 3 2 18 19 68 −49 11 0.48
16 Vale of Leithen 23 2 2 19 18 89 −71 8 0.35
Source: SLFL BBC Sport Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. BSC Glasgow finished third based on the 'points per game' measure, despite accumulating fewer points than East Stirlingshire.[8]

Positions by round

The table lists the positions of teams after each round of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.

Qualification for the Pyramid play-off
Possible relegation to the EoSFL or SoSFL
Relegation to the EoSFL or SoSFL
Team \ Round 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Kelty Hearts164222222221111111111111111
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic212111111112223222222222222
East Stirlingshire741497585543332334433333333
BSC Glasgow659546433334444443344444444
The Spartans101010979868889776665566555555
Civil Service Strollers433785374455555556655666666
East Kilbride985868646677889999888777777
Caledonian Braves326333757766668877777898898
Cumbernauld Colts577654999998997788999989989
University of Stirling111111111110101010101010101010101010101010101010101010
Gala Fairydean Rovers1298101011111111111213111111111111121211111111111211
Berwick Rangers81212131412121313131312131212121212111112121212121112
Gretna 2008131314141515151516161614141414141414141414131313131313
Edinburgh University141615121213131414141415151515151515161616151514141414
Dalbeattie Star161513161314141212121111121313131313131313141415151515
Vale of Leithen151416151616161615151516161616161616151515161616161616

Source: Lowland League Table
Updated: 29 February 2020

Results
Home \ Away BER BON BSC CAL CSS CUM DAL EKB EAS EDU GFR GRE KEL SPA STI VOL
Berwick Rangers 3–5 0–1 1–0 1–3 2–2 3–0 0–2 1–5 2–0 2–2 2–1 0–1 N/A 1–2 4–0
Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic N/A 1–3 3–0 1–1 5–1 3–0 2–0 3–1 4–0 N/A N/A N/A N/A 5–1 6–0
BSC Glasgow 4–1 2–3 6–1 4–1 3–1 5–0 1–1 1–1 N/A 4–0 4–1 N/A 1–0 3–0 3–0
Caledonian Braves 2–2 2–3 1–4 7–2 N/A 5–5 0–2 0–3 2–1 0–0 3–2 1–4 N/A 3–0 4–1
Civil Service Strollers N/A 1–1 N/A 2–0 2–3 3–0 N/A N/A 3–0 2–2 1–0 2–3 1–2 1–0 N/A
Cumbernauld Colts 0–0 0–2 2–1 3–1 0–2 3–0 2–2 1–4 4–1 N/A 0–1 2–1 0–1 2–0 7–1
Dalbeattie Star N/A 0–1 N/A N/A N/A 1–4 0–2 0–4 1–0 0–1 1–1 0–4 1–2 0–1 1–3
East Kilbride 3–2 0–1 4–0 1–3 0–1 7–0 3–1 N/A 5–0 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–4 0–1 N/A
East Stirlingshire 3–1 N/A 0–1 1–3 2–1 3–1 6–1 0–1 4–0 5–2 9–1 0–1 2–3 1–2 6–1
Edinburgh University 0–1 0–4 N/A 0–6 1–3 1–0 N/A 2–2 0–3 2–3 1–1 N/A 2–5 1–1 3–1
Gala Fairydean Rovers 2–2 1–5 0–3 3–1 4–0 0–3 N/A N/A 0–3 N/A 4–1 1–2 0–2 2–0 1–3
Gretna 2008 1–1 1–2 N/A 1–5 0–3 0–0 2–4 N/A N/A 0–0 3–3 1–3 N/A 1–2 2–0
Kelty Hearts N/A 3–2 2–2 4–1 5–0 N/A 8–0 1–0 2–2 7–1 3–0 10–0 5–0 2–1 11–0
The Spartans 1–0 2–3 1–2 1–3 0–1 3–2 4–0 N/A 1–3 2–0 4–0 1–0 0–1 3–2 2–1
University of Stirling 1–0 0–3 N/A N/A N/A 4–4 0–3 N/A 1–3 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–4 0–0 4–0
Vale of Leithen N/A 0–2 N/A 0–3 2–4 2–2 N/A 0–3 0–3 1–1 1–5 N/A 0–7 1–5 N/A
Source: SLFL
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers
As of 8 March 2020[1]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Nathan Austin Kelty Hearts 37
2 Ross McNeil Caledonian Braves 17
3 Jamie Dishington East Stirlingshire 16
4 Thomas Collins BSC Glasgow 14
Neil McLaughlin Caledonian Braves
Thomas Orr BSC Glasgow
7 Sean Brown East Stirlingshire 13
Scott Linton Kelty Hearts
Marty Wright Cumbernauld Colts
10 George Hunter Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic 12
Nicky Low East Stirlingshire

League Cup

A 16-team straight knock-out tournament was scheduled to take place over four weekends at the end of the league season. Following the suspension of all Scottish football until the end of April due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the League Cup was cancelled.[10]

Lowland League play-off

A play-off match was scheduled to take place between the winners of the 2019–20 East of Scotland Football League and the 2019–20 South of Scotland Football League, subject to both clubs meeting the required licensing criteria for promotion. This was cancelled following the South of Scotland Football League declaring their season null and void. As a result, Bo'ness United were promoted subject to SFA approval.[11]

References
  1. "Top Goalscorers". SLFL. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  2. "Match Attendance: 1510". Twitter. Kelty Hearts FC. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  3. "Coronavirus – Joint Response Group Update 13 March". Scottish FA. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. "Kelty Hearts named champions as Lowland League called early". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. "Stuart Malcolm appointed new Forfar Athletic manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. Reeves, Thomas (1 December 2019). "Chris Humphrey sacked as Gretna 2008 manager". News and Star. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  7. "Rowan Alexander: Former Gretna manager back in charge at Raydale Park". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  8. Atkinson, Mark (13 April 2020). "Lowland League ends season and crowns Kelty Hearts champions - with Bonnyrigg Rose left high and dry". Edinburgh Evening News. JPIMedia. Retrieved 15 April 2020. Kelty, therefore, finish top with a score of 2.72 points, Bonnyrigg second with 2.58 points and BSC Glasgow third with 2.31 points.
  9. Oliver, David (14 April 2020). "Lowland League fourth for third-placed East Stirlingshire". Falkirk Herald. JPIMedia. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  10. Scottish Lowland League [@OfficialSLFL] (20 March 2020). "We can confirm that the Lowland League Cup will not run for the 2019/20 season. Last years winners @BSCGlasgow #AffordableFootball" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020 – via Twitter.
  11. "Bo'ness United on verge of promotion". Scottish Lowland Football League. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
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