Edinburgh City F.C.

Edinburgh City
Full name Edinburgh City Football Club
Nickname(s) The Citizens, The Lilywhites
Founded 1966 (1966) (as Postal United)
Ground Ainslie Park, Edinburgh
Ground Capacity 3,000 (504 seated)
Chairman Jim Brown
Manager Gary Jardine
League Scottish League Two
2016–17 Scottish League Two, 7th
Website Club website

Edinburgh City Football Club are a part-time professional senior Scottish football club, which plays in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. The club play at Ainslie Park in Edinburgh, while redevelopment work takes place at Meadowbank Stadium.

A club known as Edinburgh City was first formed in 1928. It participated in the Scottish Football League in the 1930s and 1940s, but went out of business in the 1950s. The present club adopted the Edinburgh City name in 1986. It applied to join the Scottish Football League in 2002 and 2008, but failed to win election. Edinburgh City became members of the new Lowland League in 2013. The club won the Lowland League championship in 2015 and 2016 and won promotion to the Scottish Professional Football League in 2016.

History

The original Edinburgh City was founded in 1928. The club adopted amateur status, with the aim of becoming the Edinburgh equivalent of Queen's Park. Edinburgh City joined the Scottish Football League in 1931.[1] The club played in the Lothian Amateur League during the Second World War and were only admitted to the C Division in 1946.[2][3] After three more years of struggle, the club left the Scottish Football League in 1949.[2][3] It switched to junior status and played in the Edinburgh & District Junior League.[2][3] The club ceased activity completely in 1955,[2] when the local council refused to renew its lease on its home ground, City Park.[3]

A club called Postal United was founded in 1966. The Edinburgh City Football Club Ltd (Social Club), which had continued trading as a social club since the football club stopped playing, gave their approval in 1986 for Postal United to use the Edinburgh City name.[3] The club has regularly participated in the Scottish Cup since the mid-1990s, when it became a full member of the Scottish Football Association.[3] In the 1997–98 Scottish Cup they defeated SFL club, East Stirlingshire, before losing 7–2 to Dunfermline Athletic, then of the Premier Division.

The club applied to join the Scottish Football League in 2002,[4] after Airdrieonians had gone bankrupt, but Gretna won the vote instead. Edinburgh City applied again following Gretna's liquidation in 2008,[5] but this time lost out to Annan Athletic.[6]

Edinburgh City won the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division title for the first time in the 2005–06 season and became members of the new Lowland League in 2013.[7] The club won the Lowland League championship in 2014–15 and 2015–16. They then gained promotion to the Scottish Professional Football League by defeating East Stirlingshire in a playoff with a goal with four minutes left by Dougie Gair.[8]

Colours

The club colours are white and black.[3] Postal United F.C. played in all-red, but switched to the traditional colours when it adopted the Edinburgh City identity in 1986.[3]

Stadium

Meadowbank Stadium, the club's home which is currently undergoing renovation
Ainslie Park, where the club currently ground share with Spartans

The original club played its home matches at Powderhall Stadium and City Park during its time in the Scottish Football League.

The present club initially played their home fixtures at the Saughton Enclosure, which is now home to Lothian Thistle, before switching to Paties Road, where Edinburgh United currently play. Edinburgh City then moved to City Park and then Fernieside. Edinburgh City moved to Meadowbank Stadium in 1996, which had been vacated by the move of Meadowbank Thistle to Livingston.[3]

In February 2013, the City of Edinburgh Council started a new consultation process about the future of Meadowbank Stadium.[9] Three options for redeveloping Meadowbank were put forward for consideration by Edinburgh Council in December 2013.[10] A planned design was made public in November 2016[11] and work is expected to begin after the 2016–17 season ends.[12] Edinburgh City have reached an agreement with Spartans to use their Ainslie Park ground for three seasons while Meadowbank is being redeveloped.[13]

First-team squad

As of 11 August 2017[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Wales GK Calum Antell
2 Scotland DF Jordan Caddow
3 Scotland DF Christopher McKee
4 Scotland DF Shaun Harrison
5 England MF Josh Walker (captain)
6 Scotland MF Marc Laird
7 Scotland MF Craig Thomson
8 England MF Gavin Malin
10 Scotland FW Craig Beattie
11 England FW Ashley Grimes
12 Scotland MF Calum Hall
14 Scotland DF Gareth Rodger
No. Position Player
15 Scotland MF Scott McBeath
16 Nigeria FW Moses Olanrewaju
17 Scotland MF Reece Glackin
19 Scotland MF Ian Smith (on loan from Dundee)
20 Scotland GK Fraser Morton
21 Bulgaria DF Zdravko Karadachki
22 Scotland MF John Dunn
23 Scotland MF David Verlaque
26 Scotland DF Sean Mackie (on loan from Hibernian)
27 Scotland FW Lewis Allan (on loan from Hibernian)
— Scotland DF Stuart Morrison (on loan from Dunfermline Athletic)

Club Officials

Board of directors

Position Name
Chairman Jim Brown[15]
Sporting Director Jim Jefferies[16]

Management

Position[17] Name
Manager Gary Jardine
Assistant Manager Ross MacNamara
1st Team Coach Ross Ballantine
1st Team Coach Craig Beattie (also registered as first team player)
1st Team Coach Gordon Murray

Honours

References

  1. ↑ (Bob Crampsey 1990, p. 294)
  2. 1 2 3 4 (Bob Crampsey 1990, p. 295)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Edinburgh City". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Lindsay, Clive (17 June 2002). "Airdrie may edge out Gretna". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Edinburgh City will apply to SFL". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  6. ↑ "Annan voted into Scottish league". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 July 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Scottish Lowland Football League clubs selected". Scottish FA. SFA. 17 June 2013.
  8. ↑ McLauchlin, Brian (14 May 2016). "East Stirlingshire 0–1 Edinburgh City". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "Future of Meadowbank Stadium unclear as council opens negotiations". www.news.stv.tv. STV. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Three options considered for Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh". BBC News. BBC. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "New Meadowbank Stadium design plans unveiled". BBC News. BBC. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  12. ↑ Temple, Alan (28 April 2017). "Pitch invasions, Manchester United & DIY: Emotional Edinburgh City prepare for Meadowbank farewell". Deadline News. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Pilcher, Ross (29 March 2017). "Edinburgh City and Spartans confirm three-season groundshare". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "2017–18 Edinburgh City squad". Edinburgh City FC. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  15. ↑ Pilcher, Ross (26 May 2017). "Jim Brown appointed chairman of Edinburgh City". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Jefferies takes up role with City". Scottish Professional Football League. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  17. ↑ "Management". Edinburgh City FC. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
Sources
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