2022–23 Scottish League Two

The 2022–23 Scottish League Two (known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons) was the tenth season of Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of Scottish football.

Scottish League Two
Season2022–23
Dates30 July 2022 – 6 May 2023
ChampionsStirling Albion
PromotedStirling Albion
Annan Athletic (via play-offs)
RelegatedAlbion Rovers
Matches played180
Goals scored489 (2.72 per match)
Top goalscorerTommy Goss
23 goals
Biggest home winEast Fife 8–0 Stranraer (15 April 2023)
Biggest away winElgin City 0–4 Dumbarton (12 November 2022)
Bonnyrigg Rose 0–4 Albion Rovers (7 January 2023)
Stranraer 0–4 Albion Rovers (14 January 2023)
Dumbarton 1–5 Albion Rovers (18 March 2023)
Highest scoringEast Fife 8–0 Stranraer (15 April 2023)
Longest winning runDumbarton
7 games
Longest unbeaten runStirling Albion
19 games
Longest winless runStenhousemuir
9 games
Longest losing runElgin City
6 games
Highest attendance2,057
Bonnyrigg Rose 3–0 Elgin City (6 May 2023)
Lowest attendance219
Albion Rovers 0–2 Forfar Athletic (17 September 2022)
Total attendance101,794
Average attendance565
All statistics correct as of 6 May 2023.

Ten teams contested the league: Albion Rovers, Annan Athletic, Bonnyrigg Rose, Dumbarton, East Fife, Elgin City, Forfar Athletic, Stenhousemuir, Stirling Albion and Stranraer.

Teams

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The following teams changed division after the 2021–22 season.

Stadia and locations

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Albion Rovers Annan Athletic Bonnyrigg Rose Dumbarton
Cliftonhill Galabank New Dundas Park Dumbarton Football Stadium
Capacity: 1,238[1] Capacity: 2,504[2] Capacity: 3,000[3] Capacity: 2,020[4]
       
East Fife Elgin City
Bayview Stadium Borough Briggs
Capacity: 1,980[5] Capacity: 4,520[6]
 
 
Forfar Athletic Stenhousemuir Stirling Albion Stranraer
Station Park Ochilview Park Forthbank Stadium Stair Park
Capacity: 6,777[7] Capacity: 3,746[8] Capacity: 3,808[9] Capacity: 4,178[10]
 
     

Personnel and kits

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Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Albion Rovers   Sandy Clark   Sean Fagan Joma CompliancePath
Annan Athletic   Peter Murphy   Steven Swinglehurst EV2 Sportswear M & S Engineering
Bonnyrigg Rose   Robbie Horn   Jonathan Stewart Puma G. Fitzsimmons and Son (Home)
Shepherd Chartered Surveyors (Away)
Dumbarton   Stephen Farrell   Gregor Buchanan Macron No Sponsor
East Fife   Greig McDonald   Stewart Murdoch Joma TBC (Home)
The Taxi Centre Fife (Away)
Elgin City Charlie Charlesworth, Ross Draper and Stevie Dunn (interim)   Matthew Cooper Joma McDonald & Munro
Forfar Athletic   Ray McKinnon   Craig Slater Pendle Orchard Timber Products
Stenhousemuir   Gary Naysmith   Sean Crighton Puma LOC Hire
Stirling Albion   Darren Young   Ross McGeachie Joma Prudential
Stranraer   Scott Agnew   Grant Gallagher Joma Stena Line

Managerial changes

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Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
East Fife   Stevie Crawford Signed by Dundee United 25 September 2022 4th   Greig McDonald 25 October 2022
Forfar Athletic   Gary Irvine Sacked 9 November 2022 10th   Ray McKinnon 10 November 2022
Stenhousemuir   Stephen Swift Sacked 7 December 2022 6th   Gary Naysmith 3 January 2023
Albion Rovers   Brian Reid Sacked 25 March 2023 10th   Sandy Clark 28 March 2023
Elgin City   Gavin Price Sacked 8 April 2023 10th  

Charlie Charlesworth, Ross Draper and Stevie Dunn (interim)

10 April 2023
Stranraer   Jamie Hamill Sacked 16 April 2023 7th   Scott Agnew 17 April 2023

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Stirling Albion (C, P) 36 21 10 5 67 37 +30 73 Promotion to League One
2 Dumbarton 36 18 8 10 49 39 +10 62 Qualification for the League One play-offs
3 Annan Athletic (O, P) 36 14 9 13 61 51 +10 51
4 East Fife 36 14 8 14 54 50 +4 50
5 Forfar Athletic 36 13 9 14 37 43 −6 48
6 Stenhousemuir 36 12 11 13 51 55 −4 47
7 Stranraer 36 12 9 15 43 57 −14 45
8 Bonnyrigg Rose 36 11 9 16 36 47 −11 42
9 Elgin City 36 11 7 18 44 62 −18 40
10 Albion Rovers (R) 36 11 6 19 47 48 −1 39 Qualification for the League Two play-off final
Source: [11]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[12]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated


Results

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Season statistics

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Scoring

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Top scorers

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Rank Player Club Goals
1   Tommy Goss Annan Athletic 23
2   Charlie Reilly Albion Rovers 22
3   Dale Carrick Stirling Albion 19
4   Kane Hester Elgin City 18
5   Matty Yates Stenhousemuir 14

Awards

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Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August   Stephen Farrell Dumbarton   Declan Byrne Dumbarton
September/October   Darren Young Stirling Albion   Kane Hester Elgin City
November   Stephen Farrell Dumbarton   Charlie Reilly Albion Rovers
December   Stephen Farrell Dumbarton   Chris Johnston Annan Athletic
January   Ray McKinnon Forfar Athletic   Charlie Reilly Albion Rovers
February   Gary Naysmith Stenhousemuir   Matty Yates Stenhousemuir
March   Greig McDonald East Fife   Tommy Goss Annan Athletic
April   Darren Young Stirling Albion   Dale Carrick Stirling Albion

The SPFL League Two manager of the year was Darren Young of Stirling Albion.

The SPFL League Two player of the year was Dale Carrick of Stirling Albion.

League Two play-offs

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The Pyramid play-off was contested between the champions of the 2022–23 Highland Football League and the 2022–23 Lowland Football League. The Spartans secured their place in the play-offs as the Lowland Football League representative on 8 April 2023. Brechin City secured their place in the play-offs as the Highland Football League representative on 22 April 2023. The winners, The Spartans, then faced the bottom club Albion Rovers in the League Two play-off final. The Spartans won 2–1 over two legs, being promoted to League Two for the 2023–24 season as a result, with Albion Rovers relegated to the Lowland League.

Pyramid play-off

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First leg

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29 April 2023 The Spartans 1–0 Brechin City Edinburgh
15:00 Henderson   90' [14] Stadium: Ainslie Park
Attendance: 2,020[15]
Referee: Graham Grainger

Second leg

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6 May 2023 Brechin City 3–2
(3–3 agg.)
(3–4 p)
The Spartans Brechin
15:00
  • MacLeod   45'
  • Inglis   61'
  • Biabi   65'
[16]
  • Whyte   15'
  • Henderson   55'
Stadium: Glebe Park
Attendance: 1,900
Referee: Grant Irvine
Penalties
  •   Henderson
  •   Russell
  •   Brown
  •   Dishington

Final

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First leg

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13 May 2023 The Spartans 1–1 Albion Rovers Edinburgh
15:00 Leslie   66' (o.g.) [17] Graham   39' Stadium: Ainslie Park
Attendance: 2,120
Referee: Peter Stuart

Second leg

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20 May 2023 Albion Rovers 0–1
(1–2 agg.)
The Spartans Coatbridge
15:00 [18] Henderson   16' (pen.) Stadium: Cliftonhill
Attendance: 1,250
Referee: Matthew McDermid

References

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  1. ^ "Albion Rovers Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Annan Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Bonnyrigg Rose Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Dumbarton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  5. ^ "East Fife Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  6. ^ "Elgin City Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Forfar Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Stenhousemuir Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Stirling Albion Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Stranraer Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  11. ^ "cinch League Two Table". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  12. ^ "The Rules of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). SPFL. pp. 38–39. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  13. ^ a b "cinch League Two Results". SPFL. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  14. ^ "The Spartans 1–0 Brechin City". BBC Sport. BBC. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Spartans 1 Brechin City 0". brechincity.com. Brechin City F.C. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Brechin City 3–2 The Spartans". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  17. ^ "The Spartans 1–1 Albion Rovers". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Albion Rovers 0–1 The Spartans". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
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