The Scottish League Two, known as William Hill League Two for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.[2]
 | |
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland (10 teams) |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | Scottish League One |
| Relegation to | Highland Football League Lowland Football League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Scottish Cup |
| League cup(s) | Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Stenhousemuir (1st title)[note 1] (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Peterhead (2 titles)[note 1] |
| TV partners | BBC Alba |
| Website | spfl |
| Current: 2024–25 Scottish League Two | |
Since the 2014–15 season, the bottom team has entered a play-off against the winner of a play-off between the winners of the Highland and Lowland Leagues for a place in the following season's competition.[3]
Format
editTeams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion. If points are equal, the goal difference determines the winner. If this still does not result in a winner, the tied teams must take part in a playoff game at a neutral venue to determine the final placings.[4]
Promotion and relegation
editThe champions are directly promoted to the Scottish League One, swapping places with the bottom club of League One.[4] The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th in League Two, and the 9th placed team in League One then enter the two-legged League One play-off. The 2nd-placed League Two club plays the 3rd-placed League Two club, whilst the team who finished 4th in League Two will play the 9th-placed League One side. The winners of these ties will then play each other. If a League Two play-off winner prevails, that club is promoted, with the League One club being relegated. If the League One side is victorious, they then retain their place in League One.[4]
Since season 2014–15, the bottom team in League Two enters a two-legged play-off against the winner of the Pyramid play-off between the Highland League and Lowland League champions.[4] If the Highland or Lowland team wins the final they are promoted to League Two, and the team finishing 10th is relegated to the regional league they have chosen prior to the start of the season (previously this depended on whether they were north or south of 56.4513N latitude). If the League Two side wins the play-off, they retain their place in the following season's competition.[4]
The following League Two play-off finals have been played:
| Season | Winning team | Aggregate score | Losing team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Montrose | 3–2 | Brora Rangers |
| 2015–16 | Edinburgh City (P) | 2–1 | East Stirlingshire (R) |
| 2016–17 | Cowdenbeath | 1–1 (p) | East Kilbride |
| 2017–18 | Cowdenbeath | 3–2 | Cove Rangers |
| 2018–19 | Cove Rangers (P) | 7–0 | Berwick Rangers (R) |
| 2019–20 | No playoffs were held due to the Covid-19 pandemic | ||
| 2020–21 | Kelty Hearts (P) | 3–1 | Brechin City (R) |
| 2021–22 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic (P) | 4–0 | Cowdenbeath (R) |
| 2022–23 | The Spartans (P) | 2–1 | Albion Rovers (R) |
| 2023–24 | Stranraer | 5–3 (aet) | East Kilbride |
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Teams
editListed below are all the teams competing in the 2023–24 Scottish League Two season, with details of the first season they entered the fourth tier; the first season of their current spell in the fourth tier; and the last time they won the fourth tier.
| Team | Position in 2022–23 | First season in fourth tier | First season of current spell in fourth tier | Last title (4th tier) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnyrigg Rose | 8th, Scottish League Two | 2022–23 | 2022–23 | — |
| Clyde | 9th, Scottish League One (relegated) | 2010–11 | 2023–24 | — |
| Dumbarton | 2nd, Scottish League Two | 1997–98 | 2022–23 | 2008–09 |
| East Fife | 4th, Scottish League Two | 1999–00 | 2022–23 | 2015–16 |
| Elgin City | 9th, Scottish League Two | 2000–01 | 2000–01 | — |
| Forfar Athletic | 5th, Scottish League Two | 1994–95 | 2021–22 | 1994–95 |
| Peterhead | 10th, Scottish League One (relegated) | 2000–01 | 2023–24 | 2013–14 |
| Stenhousemuir | 6th, Scottish League Two | 1998–99 | 2019–20 | — |
| Stranraer | 7th, Scottish League Two | 2003–04 | 2020–21 | 2003–04 |
| The Spartans | 1st, Lowland League (promoted) | 2023–24 | 2023–24 | — |
Stadiums
edit| Bonnyrigg Rose | Clyde | Dumbarton | East Fife | Elgin City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Dundas Park | New Douglas Park | Dumbarton Football Stadium | Bayview Stadium | Borough Briggs |
| Capacity: 2,640 | Capacity: 6,018 | Capacity: 2,020[5] | Capacity: 1,980[6] | Capacity: 4,520[7] |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Forfar Athletic | Peterhead | Stenhousemuir | Stranraer | The Spartans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station Park | Balmoor | Ochilview | Stair Park | Ainslie Park |
| Capacity: 6,777[8] | Capacity: 3,150 | Capacity: 3,746[9] | Capacity: 4,178[10] | Capacity: 3,612 |
 |  |  |  | .jpg) |
Statistics
editChampionships
edit| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Top scorer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | |||
| 2013–14 | Peterhead | Annan Athletic | Rory McAllister (Peterhead) | 32 |
| 2014–15 | Albion Rovers | Queen's Park | Peter Weatherson (Annan Athletic) | 22 |
| 2015–16 | East Fife | Elgin City | Nathan Austin (East Fife) | 22 |
| 2016–17 | Arbroath | Forfar Athletic | Shane Sutherland (Elgin City) | 18 |
| 2017–18 | Montrose | Peterhead | David Goodwillie (Clyde) | 25 |
| 2018–19 | Peterhead | Clyde | Blair Henderson (Edinburgh City) | 30 |
| 2019–20[11] | Cove Rangers | Edinburgh City | Mitch Megginson (Cove Rangers) | 24 |
| 2020–21 | Queen's Park | Edinburgh City | Kane Hester (Elgin City) | 15 |
| 2021–22 | Kelty Hearts | Forfar Athletic | Nathan Austin (Kelty Hearts) | 17 |
| 2022–23 | Stirling Albion | Dumbarton | Tommy Goss (Annan Athletic) | 23 |
| 2023–24 | Stenhousemuir | Peterhead | Blair Henderson (The Spartans) | 18 |
Top goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Club(s)[note 2] | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blair Henderson | Annan Athletic (2014), (2017–2018) Berwick Rangers (2015–2016) Stirling Albion (2016–2017) Edinburgh City (2018–2021) The Spartans (2023–) | 87 |
| 2 | Shane Sutherland | Elgin City (2013–2015; 2016–2019) Peterhead (2019) Elgin City (2019–2020) | 75 |
| 3 | Rory McAllister | Peterhead (2013–2014; 2017–2019) Cove Rangers (2020) Peterhead (2023–) | 70 |
| 4 | Kane Hester | Arbroath (2015–2017) Elgin City (2019–2023) | 63 |
| 5 | Brian Cameron | Elgin City (2013–) | 59 |
Italics denotes players still playing football,
Bold denotes players still playing in Scottish League Two.
Notes
edit- ^ a b Scottish League Two has only existed since 2013. For a complete record of clubs that have won the Scottish fourth tier, see List of winners of the Scottish League Two and predecessors.
- ^ Clubs only include those where players scored goals in the Scottish League Two.
References
edit- ^ "WILLIAM HILL AND SPFL AGREE LANDMARK TITLE SPONSORSHIP DEAL". spfl.co.uk. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "SPFL: New Scottish league brands unveiled". BBC Sport. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ "Scottish FA approves Lowland League for next season". BBC Sport. 11 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "The Rules and Regulations of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). Scottish Professional Football League. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Dumbarton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "East Fife Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Elgin City Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Forfar Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Stenhousemuir Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Stranraer Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Dundee Utd, Raith & Cove win titles & reconstruction talks start after Dundee vote". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2013–14". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2014–15". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2015–16". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2016–17". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2017–18". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2018–19". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2019–20". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2020–21". Soccerbase. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2021–22". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2022–23". Soccerbase. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Scottish League Two 2023–24". Soccerbase. Retrieved 29 September 2023.