Haddington Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Haddington, the county town of East Lothian. Nicknamed the Hi-His, the club were founded in 1939 and play their home matches at Millfield. The team competes in the East of Scotland League Premier Division, having moved from the junior leagues in 2018.[1]
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| Full name | Haddington Athletic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hi-His | ||
| Founded | 1939 | ||
| Ground | Millfield Park, Haddington | ||
| Capacity | 1,500 | ||
| Chairman |  Drew Donaldson | ||
| Manager | Scott Bonar | ||
| League | East of Scotland League Premier Division | ||
| 2023–24 | East of Scotland League Premier Division, 8th of 16 | ||
| Website | http://www.haddingtonathletic.co.uk | ||
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In July 2021, Scott Bonar became the manager of the club.
History
editAfter a number of years in the bottom tier of Junior football in the East Region, the club won the South Division in 2014–15 and gained promotion to the second tier. In 2017–18 Haddington achieved their best finish in the East Premier League, finishing 3rd in their final season before moving to the East of Scotland League.
The club gained SFA membership in 2020 after upgrades were made to the ground, which included the addition of floodlights.[2]
Honours
edit- East Of Scotland Football League First Division Conference A champions: 2021–22
- East Region South Division champions: 2014–15
- Lothians District League Division Two winners: 1998–99
- Edinburgh & District League champions: 1956–57
- East of Scotland Junior Cup winners: 1940–41, 1956–57, 1972–73
- Fife and Lothians Cup winners: 1940
- Brown Cup winners: 1958–59
- Thornton Shield winners: 1939–40, 1940–41, 1946–47
- St Michaels Cup winners: 1949–50, 1958–59
- Laidlaw Cup winners: 1978–79
Notable former players
editA number of players have used Haddington as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. The following players made the grade in the Senior game:
- John Scott to Third Lanark
- Johnny Gilhooley to Cowdenbeath
- Bobby Wood to Hibernian
- Dougie Armstrong and Tom McKenzie to Heart of Midlothian
- Alex McCrae to Heart of Midlothian (1941), Charlton Athletic (1947), Middlesbrough (1948), Falkirk (1953) and (as player/manager) Ballymena United (1957). He returned to Falkirk as manager in 1960.
November 2007 saw Polish midfielder Lukasz Rusin become the first Haddington player in recent times to seek success in the higher grade when he joined Brechin City for a short spell. However, his progression was hampered by a persistent injury and Rusin took some time away from the game before returning to Junior football with Spartans for the 2011–12 season
In July 2012, prolific striker Sean Jamieson signed for East Fife after a successful trial period. In two seasons for the Hi His, Jamieson scored 64 times in 72 appearances (three as substitute)
Junior Internationalists
editIn 1948, Dougie Armstrong became the club's only Junior internationalist player when he played for Scotland against a Republic of Ireland team.
Current squad
edit- As of 31 October 2020
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
edit- ^ McLauchlin, Brian (7 June 2018). "East of Scotland League vote signals exodus of 25 junior clubs". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ "Four sides to represent East Lothian in the Scottish Cup". East Lothian Courier. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.