Kilwinning Rangers Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of
Kilwinning
Kilwinning (, sco, Kilwinnin; gd, Cill D’Fhinnein) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is on the River Garnock, north of Irvine, about southwest of Glasgow. It is known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire". Kilwinning was also a Civil Pa ...
, Ayrshire. Formed in 1899, the club competes in the
West of Scotland Football League
The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Founded in 202 ...
, and are eligible to participate in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1908–09 with a 1–0 victory over
Strathclyde
Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...
A second appearance in the final followed in 1909–10, however Kilwinning were defeated 3-0 by Ashfield. Ninety years later, Kilwinning regained the Scottish Junior Cup with a 1–0 victory over
Kelty Hearts
Kelty Hearts Football Club is a football club based in the village of Kelty in Fife, Scotland. Formed in 1975 and nicknamed ''the Hearts'', ''the Maroon Machine'' and ''the Jambos'', they play their home games at New Central Park. Their home ...
, in a season which saw them win six out of the seven trophies available to them.
Kilwinning became the first Ayrshire side to win the West Super League in 2003–04 however financial issues resulted in the team finishing bottom of the league the following season and subsequently relegated. Most of the following decade was spent in the Ayrshire District League with a promotion to the Super First Division achieved in 2012–13. The following season almost resulted in Kilwinning avoiding relegation, however the club had fielded an ineligible player for twelve matches and the resulting nineteen point deduction relegated the side to the bottom division.
A change in management occurred in February 2014 with the appointment of Chris Strain and Colin Stewart, although Stewart left to take up a coaching role at Rangers in 2015 and Strain assumed the role of sole manager.
Kilwinning achieved successive promotions in 2014-15 and 2016–17, courtesy of a play-off victory against
Shettleston
Shettleston ( sco, Shuttlestoun, gd, Baile Nighean Sheadna) is a district in the east end of Glasgow in Scotland.
Toponymy
The origin of the name 'Shettleston' is not clear and, like many place-names of possibly medieval origin, has had a mult ...
and maintained their top flight status the following season by defeating Kilsyth Rangers in another play-off.
In 2020, Kilwinning applied to join the newly formed
West of Scotland Football League
The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Founded in 202 ...
, which would see them leave the Junior leagues after joining 118 years prior The following year, Kilwinning began their application to join the Scottish Football Association. This application was successful in June 2022, allowing the Buffs to participate in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2022–23 season.
In early April 2022, Chris Strain was sacked. Former player and ex-professional, Mark Campbell was appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season. Broomhill manager David Gormley was hired for the start of the next season. In January 2023 Gormley was relieved of his position as manager and former Clyde, Ayr United and Stirling Albion player Chris Aitken was appointed as manager in early February.
Scottish Cup
Kilwinning Rangers made their first ever foray into the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Rutherglen Glencairn and
Tranent
Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the paris ...
, before succumbing to
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 ...
side
Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...
.
Nickname
Several theories exists as to the origin of the nickname "Buffs". Historic maps of Kilwinning show the site of the present day Abbey Park to have been within an area known as "The Butts," an adaption of which may have led to the synonym.
Another theory is that one of the players around that time was a member of the East Kent Regiment of the British Army, who were nicknamed The Buffs.
The early Kilwinning Rangers were known to have played in a dull yellow or "buff" strip. However the origin of the nickname remains unknown.
Ground
Several grounds were used by the club in the early years of its existence. Initially Kilwinning moved to a ground named Woodwynd Park which was located on Woodwynd itself, between Hamilton Street and Kilrig Avenue. Several years later the club began playing at Claremont Park, near to the now demolished
Kilwinning East railway station
Kilwinning East railway station was a railway station serving the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland as part of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway.
History
The station opened on 3 September 1888 and was simply known as Kilwinni ...
. The Buffs moved to Abbey Park (near
Kilwinning Abbey
Kilwinning Abbey is a ruined abbey located in the centre of the town of Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.
History
Establishment of the Abbey
Kilwinning was a Tironensian Benedictine monastic community, named after Tiron in the diocese of Chart ...
) in 1929 and remained there until 2019.
At the start of the 2019–20 season they relocated to the Kilwinning Sports Club ground in Pennyburn on the outskirts of the town which was upgraded and renamed Buffs Park.
In April 2020, the club agreed to buy the former Old Trafford
floodlight
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...
s from non-league
York City
York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
to upgrade Buffs Park to SPFL standards, however, the plan fell through.
A seated stand was added ahead of the 2020-21 West of Scotland Football League season; with the new floodlights following the next year.
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 compet ...
West of Scotland Super League Premier Division
The SJFA West Region Premiership (also known as the McBookie.com West Region Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was a semi-professional football league run by the West Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and was the highest tier ...
* West of Scotland Cup winners (2): 1993–94, 1998–99
* Ayrshire First Division winners (2): 1998–99, 1999–00
* Western Junior League winners (6): 1920–21, 1922–23, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1965–66
* Ayrshire Second Division winners (3): 1980–81, 1988–89, 1990–91
* Ayrshire Cup (11): 1904–05, 1908–09, 1934–35, 1976–77, 1985–86, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2017–18
* Ayrshire League Cup (2): 1929–30, 1998–99
* Ayrshire District Cup (8): 1905–06, 1920–21, 1931–32, 1958–59, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02
* North Ayrshire Cup (4): 1995–96, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01
* Western Intermediate League Cup: 1929–30
* Irvine & District League (3): 1907–08, 1908–09, 1913–14
* Eglinton Cup (2): 2021, 2022
* Lady Darling Supplementary Cup: 2005–06
Notable players
1. Players that have played/managed in the
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...
Dylan Mackin
Dylan Mackin (born 15 January 1997) is a Scottish association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker for West of Scotland Football League side Kilwinning Rangers F.C., Kilwinning Rangers.
He has previously p ...
David McKellar
David Norwood McKellar (born 22 May 1956) is a Scottish retired professional footballer, best remembered for his time as a goalkeeper in the Football League with Carlisle United, for whom he made 160 appearances for the club over two spells. ...
Carlo Monti
Carlo Monti (24 March 1920 – 7 April 2016) was an Italian athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. He won two medals, one individual and one relay, in List of international athletics championships and games, international athletics compe ...
David Syme
David Syme (2 October 1827 – 14 February 1908) was a Scottish- Australian newspaper proprietor of ''The Age'' and regarded as "the father of protection in Australia" who had immense influence in the Government of Victoria.C. E. Sayers,Syme, ...