2020–21 Scottish League One
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2020–21 Scottish League One was the eighth season of Scottish League One, the third tier of Scottish football. The season commenced later than usual, on the October 17th, being played over a shortened 22 game period due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[2]
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 October 2020 – 6 May 2021 |
| Champions | Partick Thistle |
| Promoted | Partick Thistle |
| Relegated | Forfar Athletic |
| Matches | 110 |
| Goals | 278 (2.53 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Mitch Megginson (14 goals)[1] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
Ten teams contested the league: Airdrieonians, Clyde, Cove Rangers, Dumbarton, East Fife, Falkirk, Forfar Athletic, Montrose, Partick Thistle and Peterhead.
On 11 January 2021, the league was suspended for three weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] On 29 January 2021, the suspension was extended until at least 14 February.[4] In March 2021, the Scottish Government gave permission for the league to resume. On 4 March, League One and Two clubs proposed shortening the season to 22 matches, with each team playing all other teams twice, followed by a split in the table to determine the final four matches. The clubs suggested a restart date of 20 March, which was approved by the SPFL.[5]
Teams
The following teams changed division after the 2019–20 season.[6]
To League One
Promoted from League Two
Relegated from the Championship
From League One
Relegated to League Two
Promoted to the Championship
Stadia and locations
| Airdrieonians | Clyde | Cove Rangers | Dumbarton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior Stadium | Broadwood Stadium | Balmoral Stadium | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 10,101[7] | Capacity: 8,086[8] | Capacity: 2,602[9] | Capacity: 2,020[10] |
 |
 |
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 |
| East Fife |
Location of teams in 2020–21 Scottish League One |
Falkirk | |
| Bayview Stadium | Falkirk Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 1,980[11] | Capacity: 7,937[12] | ||
 |
 | ||
| Forfar Athletic | Montrose | Partick Thistle | Peterhead |
| Station Park | Links Park | Firhill Stadium | Balmoor |
| Capacity: 6,777[13] | Capacity: 4,936[14] | Capacity: 10,102[15] | Capacity: 3,150[16] |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airdrieonians |  Ian Murray |
Sean Crighton |
Umbro | Holemasters[17] |
| Clyde | Danny Lennon |
David Goodwillie |
Uhlsport | North Lanarkshire Leisure (Home) HomesBook Factoring (Away) |
| Cove Rangers | Paul Hartley |
Mitch Megginson |
Adidas | ACE Group |
| Dumbarton | Jim Duffy |
Stuart Carswell |
Joma[18] | C&G Systems[19] |
| East Fife | Darren Young |
Kevin Smith |
Joma | BW Technology |
| Falkirk | Gary Holt (Interim) |
Gary Miller |
Puma[20] | Central Demolition[20] |
| Forfar Athletic | Gary Irvine |
Gary Irvine |
Pendle | Orchard Timber Products |
| Montrose | Stewart Petrie |
Paul Watson |
Hummel | Carnegie Fuels Ltd |
| Partick Thistle | Ian McCall |
Thomas O'Ware |
O'Neills | Just Employment Law[21] |
| Peterhead | Jim McInally |
Scott Brown |
Adidas | The Score Group |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forfar Athletic | Stuart Malcolm |
Resigned | 9 April 2021[22] | 10th | Gary Irvine |
9 April 2021[23] |
| Falkirk | David McCracken Lee Miller |
Sacked | 21 April 2021 | 3rd | Gary Holt (interim) |
21 April 2021 |
League summary
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Partick Thistle (C, P) | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 40 | 18 | +22 | 40 | Promotion to the Championship |
| 2 | Airdrieonians | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 35 | 24 | +11 | 38 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 3 | Cove Rangers | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 36 | |
| 4 | Montrose | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 | |
| 5 | Falkirk | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 32 | |
| 6 | East Fife | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 33 | −3 | 33 | |
| 7 | Peterhead | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 29 | |
| 8 | Clyde | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 27 | 38 | −11 | 26 | |
| 9 | Dumbarton (O) | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 25 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 10 | Forfar Athletic (R) | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 37 | −19 | 17 | Relegation to League Two |
Results
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
- As of 6 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitch Megginson |
Cove Rangers | 14 |
| 2 | David Goodwillie |
Clyde | 11 |
| Brian Graham |
Partick Thistle | ||
| 4 | Dale Carrick |
Airdrieonians | 9 |
| 5 | Graham Webster |
Montrose | 8 |
| 6 | Jack Hamilton |
East Fife | 7 |
| Russell McLean |
Montrose | ||
| Scott Tiffoney |
Partick Thistle |
Source:[1]
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Score | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Goodwillie |
Clyde | Montrose | 3–2 (H) | 21 November 2020 |
Attendances
Games were mostly played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited attendance was allowed at some grounds with strict conditions under the Scottish Government Tier system, dependent on the club's geographical location.
Awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| October | Paul Hartley |
Cove Rangers | Stuart McKenzie |
Cove Rangers |
| November | David McCracken Lee Miller |
Falkirk |  Thomas Robert |
Airdrieonians |
| December | Stewart Petrie |
Montrose | Jack Hamilton |
East Fife |
| January | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| February | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| March | David McCracken Lee Miller |
Falkirk | Graham Webster |
Montrose |
| April | Ian McCall |
Partick Thistle | Scott Tiffoney |
Partick Thistle |
League One play-offs
The second bottom team, Dumbarton, entered into a 4-team playoff with the 2nd-4th placed teams in 2020–21 Scottish League Two. Edinburgh City along with Elgin City and Stranraer secured playoff spots.
Semi-final
First leg
| 8 May 2021 | Stranraer | 0–0 | Dumbarton | Stranraer |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Stair Park Referee: Chris Graham |
| 8 May 2021 | Elgin City | 0–1 | Edinburgh City | Elgin |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Borough Briggs Referee: Alan Newlands |
Second leg
| 11 May 2021 | Dumbarton | 1–0 (1–0 agg.) | Stranraer | Dumbarton |
| 19:45 | Wilson  36' |
Report | Stadium: Dumbarton Football Stadium Referee: Gavin Duncan |
| 11 May 2021 | Edinburgh City | 2–2 (3–2 agg.) | Elgin City | Edinburgh |
| 19:45 | Report | McHardy 22', 42' |
Stadium: Ainslie Park Referee: Craig Napier |
Final
First leg
| 17 May 2021 | Edinburgh City | 1–3 | Dumbarton | Edinburgh |
| 19:35 | McIntyre 44' |
Report | Stadium: Ainslie Park Referee: Colin Steven |
Second leg
| 20 May 2021 | Dumbarton | 0–1 (3–2 agg.) | Edinburgh City | Dumbarton |
| 19:35 | Report | See 52' |
Stadium: Dumbarton Football Stadium Referee: Alan Newlands |