The 2014–15 Lowland League was the second season of the Lowland Football League, the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 2 August 2014 and ended on 13 May 2015. The Spartans were the defending champions. The league expanded to 14 teams with Edinburgh University and BSC Glasgow joining.[1]
| Season | 2014–15 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Edinburgh City |
| Matches played | 182 |
| Goals scored | 665 (3.65 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Aaron Somerville (Whitehill Welfare) (23 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Selkirk 7-0 Gala FR (6 September 2014) East Kilbride 7-0 Preston Athletic (10 January 2015) Stirling University 7-0 Threave Rovers (11 January 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Selkirk 1–9 Gretna 2008 (20 December 2014) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 20 matches: Edinburgh City |
← 2013–14 2015–16 → | |
This was the first season in which promotion to Scottish League Two was introduced, with the champions taking part in the pyramid play-off against the Highland League champions and the winner then playing the bottom side in League Two.[2][3]
Edinburgh City won their first league title on 20 March 2015 after nearest rivals Whitehill Welfare lost at East Kilbride. As a result, they faced the winners of the 2014–15 Highland Football League (Brora Rangers) in the semi-finals of the League Two play-offs, losing on penalties after drawing 2-2 on aggregate and therefore remained in the Lowland League.
Teams
edit
The following teams changed division prior to the 2014–15 season.
To Lowland League
editTransferred from East of Scotland League Premier Division
Stadia and Locations
edit| Team | Location | Home ground | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSC Glasgow | Glasgow | Lochburn Park | 3,500 | |
| Dalbeattie Star | Dalbeattie | Islecroft Stadium | 3,500 | [4] |
| East Kilbride | East Kilbride | K Park Training Academy | 400 | [5] |
| Edinburgh City | Edinburgh | Meadowbank Stadium | 16,500 | [6] |
| Edinburgh University | Edinburgh | New East Peffermill | TBC | |
| Gala Fairydean Rovers | Galashiels | Netherdale | 4,000 | [7] |
| Gretna 2008 | Gretna | Raydale Park | 2,200 | [8] |
| Preston Athletic | Prestonpans | Pennypit Park | 4,000 | [9] |
| Selkirk | Selkirk | Yarrow Park | 1,162 | [10] |
| The Spartans | Edinburgh | Ainslie Park | 3,000 | [11] |
| Stirling University | Stirling | Forthbank Stadium | 3,808 | [12] |
| Threave Rovers | Castle Douglas | Meadow Park | 1,500 | [13] |
| Vale of Leithen | Innerleithen | Victoria Park | 1,500 | [14] |
| Whitehill Welfare | Rosewell | Ferguson Park | 2,614 | [15] |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh City (C) | 26 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 65 | 14 | +51 | 69 | Qualification to League Two play-off semi-finals |
| 2 | East Kilbride | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 63 | 25 | +38 | 50 | |
| 3 | Gretna 2008 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 62 | 32 | +30 | 45 | |
| 4 | Dalbeattie Star | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 51 | 39 | +12 | 42 | |
| 5 | The Spartans | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 45 | 34 | +11 | 42 | |
| 6 | Stirling University | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 46 | 38 | +8 | 42 | |
| 7 | Whitehill Welfare | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 57 | 38 | +19 | 40 | |
| 8 | Gala Fairydean Rovers | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 48 | 54 | −6 | 34 | |
| 9 | Vale of Leithen | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 33 | |
| 10 | BSC Glasgow | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 30 | |
| 11 | Edinburgh University | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 40 | 52 | −12 | 28 | |
| 12 | Selkirk | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 53 | 74 | −21 | 23 | |
| 13 | Preston Athletic | 26 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 31 | 75 | −44 | 14 | |
| 14 | Threave Rovers | 26 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 21 | 80 | −59 | 11 |
Results
editLowland League play-off
editIt was proposed that the winners of the 2014–15 East of Scotland Football League and 2014–15 South of Scotland Football League would play each another for a place in the Lowland League. However, this is subject to strict licensing and entry criteria which determined possible acceptance. As the play-off was not contested, Threave Rovers stayed in the division despite having finished bottom.
References
edit- ^ "Lowland League announces new members for next season". BBC Sport. BBC. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ "The Rules of the SPFL" (PDF). Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "The pyramid system and how it affects the SHFL". Scottish Highland Football League. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ Dalbeattie Star, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ East Kilbride, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Edinburgh City Archived 2013-08-14 at the Wayback Machine, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Gala Fairydean Rovers, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Gretna 2008, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Preston Athletic, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Selkirk Archived 21 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Spartans, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Stirling University, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Threave Rovers, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Vale of Leithen, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Whitehill Welfare, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 10 August 2013.