Berwick Rangers F.C.

The Berwick Rangers ( officially: Berwick Rangers Football Club ) are an English professional football club from the city adjacent to Scotland Berwick -upon- Tweed. Due to the long distance to other cities in England - and the time-consuming travel journeys and associated high costs - playing the " Borderers " is the only English club since 1905 in the Scottish league system.

History

Foundation phase and time outside of professional football

The in 1881 - according to the latest but maybe not until 1884 - created association led in its early years a nomadic life and played until the completion of Shielfield parks in 1954 in various English and Scottish home game sites. The " Wee Gers " acted from 1905 in the Scottish Border League and joined in 1927 the newly formed East of Scotland Football League in. There, the club won for the seasons 1927/28 and 1946/47, two championships before moving to the inclusion in the Association of Scottish Football League ( " SFL " ) in 1951 and - in the midst of many reserve teams of large organizations - a three-year stay in the Northeast class C Division in 1955 for the first time took part in the match operation of the second highest Scottish professional league.

Important milestone had previously been in 1954, the walkover in the Scottish Cup competition to the quarterfinals, where he had defeated, among others, the Dundee FC 3-0. In the round of eight teams they lost while in front of 60,000 spectators the Glasgow Rangers at Ibrox Park with 0:4, but the high financial revenues were helpful for the establishment of a suitable venue in the Shielfield Park. This former grandstand parts were used by the Valley Parade stadium, which had risen from Bradford City and transported to the north.

The first years in the SFL and the Cup sensation

The club came in the second division with changing services through a mediocrity rarely out and came to the conclusion of the season in 1957/58 with 109 goals conceded even just the last place. There should be a trophy success, which should provide greater attention back again. After a 8-1 record win against Vale of Leithen and another 2-0 Forfar Athletic in the first round matches, one Rangers stood in the first round of the season 1966/67, over again, defeating the seemingly overwhelming odds to team captain John Greig in front of the still valid Stadium record crowd of 13,365 spectators with a goal by Sammy Reid sensational 1-0. This victory was a particularly intense preparation preceded and coach Jock Wallace, who should take care of the big-club from Glasgow himself later had let the team go through a three-week fitness program. Prepared victory was also because the Glasgow Rangers significantly pushed forward a reduction in participating in the SFL teams to 32 for the mid- 1960s and the Berwick Rangers were among the five teams that " on the hit list " found themselves in case of success. In the second round of the Cup Berwick finally retired after a 0-1 defeat at Hibernian Edinburgh.

League restructuring and financial problems

By 1975, the Wee Gers remained resistant active in the second division, without being able to seriously compete for promotion to the top flight. The introduction of the Scottish Premier Division for the 1975/76 season as a new top Scottish League and the associated reduction of teams from 18 to 10 ( in the second division: from 20 to 14 ) made ​​sure that the club due to the twelfth place in the season was 1974/75 allowed to start only in the new third-tier Division Two. Under the Player-Coach Davie Smith, the team's athletic but could consolidate in the late 1970s and rose in 1979 as a third-division champion in the second class Division One on.

The stay in the second division lasted only two years and in 1981 the club joined as Table on the renewed descent into the low ranks. Like many clubs at this time, the Berwick Rangers had multiplied to fight in the 1980s with existential financial difficulties, which could be alleviated only by the fact that the club sold its home stadium to the city to then zurückzumieten. The temporary low point of this development presented the 1988/ 89, when the club was nearly bankrupt, was excluded from the Shielfield Park and had to deliver its home games at another site.

Also in the 1990s, has not decreased the financial problems and the club escaped in 1994 the insolvency proceedings only just. Sporty stood at the end of the 1993/94 season winning the runner-up in the third division to beech, thereby returning to the second tier was only narrowly missed. Overall, however, the trend was still down and the end of season 1996/97 Berwick Rangers had the first time in its history, the descent into the existing 1994 fourth-rate Division Three accept. Under coach Paul Smith were used in 2000 on the Fourth League runner-up of the re-emergence into the third highest Scottish league. During the ongoing aegis until 2004 by Smith, the club was able to reactivate his former reputation as the existing Cup team and forced both the Rangers and Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Cup in each case to a replay.

In 2003, the asset base of more than 150 people graduated from union supporters, sponsors and Vereinsbank a " Supporters' Trust" together (official name: " Berwick Rangers Supporters Society "). A local consortium should eventually provide for the repurchase of the Shielfield parks.

Recent developments

At the end of the season 2004/ 05 the Wee Gers rose again from the Viertklassigkeit and missed the direct re-emergence in the following season, as the team failed in the crucial play-off encounters at Alloa Athletic. Although the team then lost some good players, but the new coach John Coughlin built a new team, with which he was able to exceed the expectations. By winning the fourth league championship in 2007, the club was promoted to the third-rate Second Division, but had to immediately re- take the course in the Third Division in 2008.

Others

• Because of only one mile away and the border frequently changing membership of England and Scotland there are constantly recurring discussions about the identity of the city.
• The procedure is that the Berwick Rangers an English club plays in the Scottish professional football league system is indeed unique in its concrete form, but generally encountered more frequently in the British Isles. To play date with Cardiff City and Swansea City two Welsh football clubs in the English Football League and Wrexham FC in the English Conference National. Another example is the Northern Irish club Derry City who play in the Irish League of Ireland.