Annan Athletic Football Club is a Scottish

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in the town of

Annan, Dumfries and Galloway Annan ( ; gd, Inbhir Anainn) is a town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. Historically part of Dumfriesshire, its public buildings include Annan Academy, of which the writer Thomas Carlyle was a pupil, and ...

. The club was founded in 1942 and competes in

Scottish League Two The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, 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 e ...

as a member of the Scottish Professional Football League. The club competed in Scottish junior football and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

regional leagues before becoming a member of the

Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the Sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in Scot ...

in 1978 which made the club eligible to compete in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,South of Scotland League twice and the

East of Scotland League The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a senior football league based in the east and south-east of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–9 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League. Fo ...

four times before successfully applying to join the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

(SFL) in 2008.History of Annan Athletic FC 1942 -2007
, Annan Athletic F.C.. 10 October 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2013. Annan Athletic's best finish in the SPFL was second in League Two in 2013–14 whilst its best result in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2021–22. The club is managed by Peter Murphy and plays its home games at

Galabank Galabank is a Association football, football stadium in the town of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Annan Athletic F.C., Annan Athletic, who have played there since 1953 ...

in the north of Annan.

History

Founded in December 1942 as Annan

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

, the club changed their name to Annan Athletic the following April. They entered the Dumfries and District Youth League, but this competition lasted only throughout the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

years, and in 1945 they joined the Dumfries and District Junior League instead. They had a fairly successful time as a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

club, reaching the fifth round of the

Scottish Junior Cup The Scottish Junior Cup is an annual football competition organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association. The competition has been held every year since the inception of the SJFA in 1886 and, as of the 2022–23 edition, 108 teams compete ...

on one occasion (losing 2–1 to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

side Jeanfield Swifts). In 1950–51 the Dumfries and District Junior League had to be wound up due to lack of officials, and the following season (1951–52) the club had to go into abeyance as the Junior Association would not release them from their membership. For the following season (1952–1953) Annan Athletic joined the Carlisle and District League and the Cumberland Football Association. This proved an astute move when Annan Athletic won every competition they entered bar one in their first season in membership. Annan remained members of the Carlisle and District League until they moved back to Scottish football in the 1977–78 season when they joined the

South of Scotland Football League The South of Scotland Football League (SoSFL) is a senior football league based in south-west Scotland. The league sits at level 6 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League. Founded in 1946, it i ...

. This switch, along with some upgrade work to their

ground also allowed the club to compete in the qualifying stages of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,East of Scotland Football League in season 1987–88, although they maintained their commitment to the South League by running a reserve side. They won promotion in their first season in the East League, and two years later won the Premier Division. They became one of the league's top sides and qualified for the Scottish Cup's early rounds on various occasions.

Scottish Football League

Annan applied to join the

in 2000, when two new clubs were admitted, but lost out to

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

and

Elgin City Elgin City Football Club (also known as City or The Black and Whites) is a professional senior football club based in Elgin, Moray. Elgin was founded in 1893 and originally played their football in the Highland Football League. The club was g ...

. Following the demise of local rivals Gretna in 2008, Annan applied along with four other clubs to replace them in the Third Division. They were the successful candidate, being chosen due to the standard of their facilities, ahead of Cove Rangers,

Spartans Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

, Preston Athletic and Edinburgh City. Their first league match as a professional team ended in a 4–1 win over

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

in the 2008–09 season. They finished 7th that season and 8th in the next season (however, they reached the semi-finals of the

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

in the 2010–11 season, their 3rd season in Scottish senior football. They finished 4th and qualified for the play-off final after a win over

Alloa Athletic Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire. Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...

in play-off semi-finals (2–1, 0–0). They played

Albion Rovers Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scotti ...

in the two-legged final, however, they lost the tie 4–3 on aggregate (1–3, 2–1), meaning that they missed out on promotion to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. After the first quarter of the 2011–12 season, Annan sat top of the league, three points clear. Also, for the second time since becoming SFL members in 2008, they reached the semi-finals of the

2011–12 Scottish Challenge Cup The 2011–12 Scottish Challenge Cup, known as the Ramsdens Challenge Cup due to sponsorship reasons with Ramsdens, was the 21st season of the competition. It was competed for by 32 clubs, which included the 30 members of the Scottish Football L ...

. Later as the season progressed Annan dropped points and fell into mid table; they would then finish the season in 6th place, 8 points off the play-off places and 28 points off first position. A 3–0 defeat to First Division Falkirk ended their hopes of a first Challenge Cup Final. During the 2012–13 season, Annan secured a 0–0 draw at home to Rangers on 15 September 2012, in what was the first-ever league meeting between the two sides. In the same season, on 9 March, Annan beat Rangers 2–1 at Ibrox, the first win for the club after the appointment of Jim Chapman as manager in January. A second-place finish in the newly named SPFL League Two the following season included the clubs record points tally and saw them face Stirling Albion in the play-offs. After losing the first leg 3–1 the return leg at Galabank was an 8-goal thriller, Annan eventually losing 8–4 on aggregate. In 2014–15 Annan produced an upset with a 3–2 win over Championship side Livingston in the Scottish Cup. 2015–2016 saw Annan miss out on the play-offs on goal difference as a final day 1–0 win over Queens Park proved not enough, the visitors pipping them to the spot by one goal. The season highlight once again came in the Scottish Cup after the first in what was to become a series of cup wins over Premiership side

Hamilton Accies Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the 2020–21 Scottis ...

. Forfar Athletic defeated Annan 6–4 on aggregate the following season in the play-offs, which signalled the end of Jim Chapmans reign. Irishman Peter Murphy became only the third manager of Annan Athletic whilst an SPFL club, his first managerial role.

Rivalries

Annan Athletic's local derby rivals are Queen of the South. Meetings are rare with the clubs being in different leagues, but it is an exciting fixture when they do play each other. It is often a familiar battle as many players played for both clubs; there are a lot of connections between the clubs and even people who support both teams. Two teams, Annan F.C. and Queen of the South Wanderers, played each other in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; gd, An t-Sròn Reamhar ), also known as The Toon, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located in the historical parish of Inch in the historic county of Wigtownshire. It lies on the shores of L ...

is less local but this has become an increasingly more competitive DG/A75 derby with many red cards seen in recent matches as the sides frequently meet in Scotland's fourth tier. Despite both clubs being in the same county, the distance between the grounds is 88 miles. Due to both being in the same division for many seasons, games against

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

have become a day to look forward to for Annan fans as the clubs built up a rivalry which was only intensified when Annan manager Jim Chapman left to take charge of the Bully Wee and a large portion of players followed him. However the Cumbernauld side are now in the league above after winning promotion against Annan in the play-offs.

Berwick Rangers Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland. Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...

are a cross-border rival of Annan despite being 88 miles (again) in the other direction. The Wee Gers were relegated to the Lowland League and therefore the sides haven't met since. Gretna F.C. 2008 are maybe more of a friendly opponent of the Galabankies with the Black and Whites frequently inviting the Black and Golds to their annual

Raydale Park Raydale Park is a football stadium in Gretna, Scotland. It is home to Lowland League side Gretna 2008 and now has a capacity of 1,030. Raydale formerly served as the home ground of Gretna until the club resigned from the Scottish Football ...

Cup competition. Annan have also shown kindness by welcoming the phoenix club to Galabank when their pitch was getting resurfaced. Annan took the

place of the now defunct Gretna in 2008.

Stadium

Annan played at Mafeking Park from 1946 to 1953, when they moved to their present ground at Galabank. The ground has a capacity of 2,504, including 500 seats.

Current squad

Coaching staff

*Manager: Peter Murphy *Assistant Manager: Colin McMenamin *Goalkeeping Coach: Jon Connolly *Coach/Kitman: Alan Casey Source:

Managers

Annan Athletic appointed their first manager in 1975; previously, the team was selected by the club's management committee. * Sam Wallace (1975–1993) * Stuart Rome (1993–1994) * Derek Frye (1994–1997) * Kevin Hetherington (1997–1998) * Tony Chilton (1998) *

Davie Irons David John Irons (born 18 July 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former football player and coach. Irons' playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder for a host of clubs, most notably for Ayr United, Clydebank, Dunfermli ...

(1998–2002) * Billy Sim (2002–2003) * Harry Cairney (2003–2004) * Sandy Ross (2004–2005) * Kenny Brown (2005–2006) * Harry Cairney (2006–2012) *

Jim Chapman Jim Chapman may refer to: * Jim Chapman (congressman) (born 1945), American businessman and politician ** Jim Chapman Lake, a lake in Texas named after the politician * Jim Chapman (footballer) (born 1965), Scottish footballer * Jim Chapman (Intern ...

(2013–2017) * Peter Murphy (2017–)

Honours

*Carlisle and District League **Winners: 1952–53 *

Cumberland Senior Cup The Cumberland Cup is the current senior county cup in the ancient county of Cumberland. It is administered by the Cumberland Football Association The Cumberland Football Association, is the governing body of football in the ancient county o ...

**Winners (3): 1952–53, 1968–69, 1971–72 **''Runners up (1)'': 1954–55 * East of Scotland Football League **Winners (4): 1989–90, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2006–07 **''Runners up (3)'': 1992–93, 2002–03, 2004–05 * East of Scotland Football League First Division **Winners: 1987–88 * East of Scotland League Cup **Winners: 1999–00 **''Runners up'': 2006–07 * South of Scotland League **Winners (2): 1983–84, 1986–87 **''Runners up (2)'': 1982–83, 1984–85 * South of Scotland League Cup **Winners (4): 1984–85, 1992–93, 2004–05, 2007–08 * SFA South Region Challenge Cup **Winners: 2007–08 * Scottish Qualifying Cup South **Winners: 2006–07

References

External links

* * {{Scottish Football League Association football clubs established in 1942 Football clubs in Scotland Scottish Junior Football Association clubs Football clubs in Dumfries and Galloway 1942 establishments in Scotland Scottish Football League teams East of Scotland Football League teams South of Scotland Football League teams Scottish Professional Football League teams Annan, Dumfries and Galloway Military football clubs in Scotland