Scottish non-league football

In the now sad absence of Jock Dock Tower, I thought I'd post a bit about the team which for some reason, I take an interest in, Brechin City are doing this season.

Some may know that they were relegated into The Highland league the season before last and have what you might call "a crunch game" on Saturday.

This is what the top of the table currently looks like

1) Buckie Thistle 33 28 3 2 92 24 +68 87
2) Brechin City 33 27 5 1 99 16 +83 86
3) Brora Rangers 33 25 2 6 113 32 +81 77

There are 18 teams in the league so it is a 34 game season and the last game is on Saturday and Brechin are away at Buckie Thistle!

If Brechin do end up winning the league though, it's not an automatic promotion back to the league. It's harder to get out of the Highland League than it is The National League.

Next they have to have a 2-legged play off against the winners of The Lowland League and then the winners of that game play the team that finished bottom of Scottish League Two, with the winners of that tie playing in the league next season!

COME ON YOU MIGHTY REDS!

Blimey, after all of the 2 legged Highlands and the Lowlands you'd be giddy!

Puts '3 up, 3 down' into perspective!

After reading your post I've been following the game.  Great result!!!

A great 2 nil win for Brechin. They now go into a playoff against the winner of The Lowland League, The Spartans to earn the right to play the team that finishes bottom of Scottish League Two which is still to be decided.

Am I reading that right ?
There are two teams with an over 80+ goal difference ??

Quoted from Les Brechin

In the now sad absence of Jock Dock Tower, I thought I'd post a bit about the team which for some reason, I take an interest in, Brechin City are doing this season.

Some may know that they were relegated into The Highland league the season before last and have what you might call "a crunch game" on Saturday.

This is what the top of the table currently looks like

1) Buckie Thistle 33 28 3 2 92 24 +68 87
2) Brechin City 33 27 5 1 99 16 +83 86
3) Brora Rangers 33 25 2 6 113 32 +81 77

There are 18 teams in the league so it is a 34 game season and the last game is on Saturday and Brechin are away at Buckie Thistle!

If Brechin do end up winning the league though, it's not an automatic promotion back to the league. It's harder to get out of the Highland League than it is The National League.

Next they have to have a 2-legged play off against the winners of The Lowland League and then the winners of that game play the team that finished bottom of Scottish League Two, with the winners of that tie playing in the league next season!

COME ON YOU MIGHTY REDS!

I might be wrong but isn't that how when it was only one team up from the national league they had a play off between the winner of the conference and the bottom of the division 4 team?? Or was that only used during division 3 North and south??

Quoted from Les Brechin

In the now sad absence of Jock Dock Tower, I thought I'd post a bit about the team which for some reason, I take an interest in, Brechin City are doing this season.

Some may know that they were relegated into The Highland league the season before last and have what you might call "a crunch game" on Saturday.

This is what the top of the table currently looks like

1) Buckie Thistle 33 28 3 2 92 24 +68 87
2) Brechin City 33 27 5 1 99 16 +83 86
3) Brora Rangers 33 25 2 6 113 32 +81 77

There are 18 teams in the league so it is a 34 game season and the last game is on Saturday and Brechin are away at Buckie Thistle!

If Brechin do end up winning the league though, it's not an automatic promotion back to the league. It's harder to get out of the Highland League than it is The National League.

Next they have to have a 2-legged play off against the winners of The Lowland League and then the winners of that game play the team that finished bottom of Scottish League Two, with the winners of that tie playing in the league next season!

COME ON YOU MIGHTY REDS!

I might be wrong but isn't that how when it was only one team up from the national league they had a play off between the winner of the conference and the bottom of the division 4 team?? Or was that only used during division 3 North and south??

Quoted from Les Brechin

In the now sad absence of Jock Dock Tower, I thought I'd post a bit about the team which for some reason, I take an interest in, Brechin City are doing this season.

Some may know that they were relegated into The Highland league the season before last and have what you might call "a crunch game" on Saturday.

This is what the top of the table currently looks like

1) Buckie Thistle 33 28 3 2 92 24 +68 87
2) Brechin City 33 27 5 1 99 16 +83 86
3) Brora Rangers 33 25 2 6 113 32 +81 77

There are 18 teams in the league so it is a 34 game season and the last game is on Saturday and Brechin are away at Buckie Thistle!

If Brechin do end up winning the league though, it's not an automatic promotion back to the league. It's harder to get out of the Highland League than it is The National League.

Next they have to have a 2-legged play off against the winners of The Lowland League and then the winners of that game play the team that finished bottom of Scottish League Two, with the winners of that tie playing in the league next season!

COME ON YOU MIGHTY REDS!

I miss Jock’s and his posts about Auchinleck Talbot, a proper football supporter!

Quoted from Pocklington Mariner

I might be wrong but isn't that how when it was only one team up from the national league they had a play off between the winner of the conference and the bottom of the division 4 team?? Or was that only used during division 3 North and south??

No they didn't champions went up and thatbwas that

First leg of the play-off is this coming Saturday at Spartans (who play in Edinburgh) with the 2nd leg at Brechin a week on Saturday.

By then it will be know who has finished bottom of the 2nd Division and I assume the main play off games with be on the following 2 Saturdays.

Quoted from Pocklington Mariner

I might be wrong but isn't that how when it was only one team up from the national league they had a play off between the winner of the conference and the bottom of the division 4 team?? Or was that only used during division 3 North and south??

I recall an English league doing this but I can't recall which one. I suspect it didn't last because any play off between a team at the bottom of one league and the top of another is loaded heavily against the team who are bottom (imagine the last Town side to get relegated out of the league in a play off against this season's Notts County side - Cty would have hammered them).

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

I recall an English league doing this but I can't recall which one. I suspect it didn't last because any play off between a team at the bottom of one league and the top of another is loaded heavily against the team who are bottom (imagine the last Town side to get relegated out of the league in a play off against this season's Notts County side - Cty would have hammered them).

The play-offs when they originally began (I think it was only for 1 season though), included the team that just escaped automatic relegation in the Division above.

Quoted from Les Brechin

The play-offs when they originally began (I think it was only for 1 season though), included the team that just escaped automatic relegation in the Division above.

Yeah, this might be what I'm thinking about Les. And I certainly remember it being short lived.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

Yeah, this might be what I'm thinking about Les. And I certainly remember it being short lived.

Just checked on wiki and it was for the first 2 seasons after the play-offs were introduced.

Quoted Text

History

For the first two seasons after the play-offs were inaugurated, the semi-finals were played between the three sides finishing below the automatic promotion sides and the team one place above the relegation zone in the division above.[6]

Didn’t Town play aldershot in one of the playoffs and Marc north (rip) missed a penalty?

Am sure I was a ballboy for that game 🤷🏻‍♂️

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

Didn’t Town play aldershot in one of the playoffs and Marc north (rip) missed a penalty?

Am sure I was a ballboy for that game 🤷🏻‍♂️

No, that was the first season the play-offs were introduced and that was the final game of the season. We drew it to be relegated, but if we'd have won we'd have finished 3 places higher and would have avoided being in the play-offs altogether.

You must be very grateful you are not called Les Scunthorpe

Quoted from HerveJosse

You must be very grateful you are not called Les Scunthorpe

Funny you should say that. It's amazing what you can do with a deed poll!  

Well Brechin kept their promotion hopes alive today despite losing the first leg of their play off at Spartans 1-0. 2nd leg is at Brechin next Saturday.

Spartans had a player sent off after 36 minutes but grabbed the winner in stoppage time.

Quoted from Les Brechin

No, that was the first season the play-offs were introduced and that was the final game of the season. We drew it to be relegated, but if we'd have won we'd have finished 3 places higher and would have avoided being in the play-offs altogether.

Didn’t Bobby Roberts miss the game to go on a coaching course?

Anyway lucky we got relegated if we’d have stayed up we may have never ended up with Sir Alan.

Well Brechin won the 2nd leg 3-2 but lost the tie on penalties so despite winning the league and only losing 1 game all season, they'll be playing Highland League football again next season.

Just found this on YouTube.

After watching this though, 2 things spring to mind. 1) Scottish Football must have the youngest fanbase of any football and 2) Could have done with subtitles really!  

[youtube]W_krlGJJKvg[/youtube]

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Didn’t Bobby Roberts miss the game to go on a coaching course?

Anyway lucky we got relegated if we’d have stayed up we may have never ended up with Sir Alan.

There was no evidence of him ever going on a coaching course based on the way the team played.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Well Brechin kept their promotion hopes alive today despite losing the first leg of their play off at Spartans 1-0. 2nd leg is at Brechin next Saturday.

Spartans had a player sent off after 36 minutes but grabbed the winner in stoppage time.

Boooooooooooooooo McHurst out!

Quoted from Les Brechin

Well Brechin kept their promotion hopes alive today despite losing the first leg of their play off at Spartans 1-0. 2nd leg is at Brechin next Saturday.

Spartans had a player sent off after 36 minutes but grabbed the winner in stoppage time.

I'm hooked on this bloody Jock drama now, where does the play-off game take place?  Neutral ground? Toss a coin?  

Quoted from OddShapedBalls

I'm hooked on this bloody Jock drama now, where does the play-off game take place?  Neutral ground? Toss a coin?  

Brechin lost the 2nd leg on penalties. The Spartans now go into a 2-legged play-off final against Albion Rovers (who finished bottom of The Scottish 2nd Division) First leg is this Saturday at Spartans, 2nd leg the following Saturday at Albion. The winners will play in the Scottish League next season.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Brechin lost the 2nd leg on penalties. The Spartans now go into a 2-legged play-off final against Albion Rovers (who finished bottom of The Scottish 2nd Division) First leg is this Saturday at Spartans, 2nd leg the following Saturday at Albion. The winners will play in the Scottish League next season.

2 legged final? crikey, their season will be almost as long as our last one at this rate!

Quoted from OddShapedBalls

2 legged final? crikey, their season will be almost as long as our last one at this rate!

They started before us too in the last week of July!

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Didn’t Bobby Roberts miss the game to go on a coaching course?

Anyway lucky we got relegated if we’d have stayed up we may have never ended up with Sir Alan.

He missed training prior to the relegation decider to go on the course if I recall correctly. I seem to remember Peter furneaux or someone else on the board a couple of years later saying when he did that it was decided to get rid after the game whether we stayed up or not.

I can't believe that Brechin lost only one game in the entire season, got 89 points from a 34 game season (which would equate to 120 points for a 46 game season) and will still be playing the same level football next season.

And people say The National League is a hard league to get out of!