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Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the English Border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, but currently playing in the Scottish Football League. They are currently managed by John Coughlin.
History
Officially formed in 1881, though some think it may be 1884 *, the club had a nomadic existence before eventually settling down at Shielfield Park in 1954. Having initially gained admittance to the Scottish Border League in 1905, they were finally elected member of the Scottish Football League in 1951, where they have played ever since, despite low attendances and frequent financial problems.
Alongside winning the Second Division title in 1979, their greatest success was beating Rangers 1-0 in 1967 in the Scottish Cup under the management of player manager Jock Wallace. It was a result which sent shockwaves around Scottish football and was also their greatest attendance of 13,365.
They are one of a handful of teams in the world to be based in one country but play in another's football league where both countries have their own fully professional competitions. Although three Welsh clubs (Cardiff City, Wrexham, Swansea City) play in the English Football League, the League of Wales is mainly a semi-professional competition, with only two clubs (TNS and Llanelli) having a full-time playing staff. The New Zealand Knights is an Auckland-based professional team which plays in the Australian A-League. The recently founded New Zealand Football Championship is semi-professional. The exception is:
- Derry City of Northern Ireland, which has played in the Football League of Ireland, the league of the Republic of Ireland, since 1985.
The reason that this unusual arrangement exists is because the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed is located so far away from other English towns and cities, near to the Scottish border. The town is actually closer to Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, than it is even to Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England. The time (and expense) involved in travelling to away matches against English opposition would be prohibitive for the club. As well, the club also formerly played in the East of Scotland League, which contains other nearby Border teams, prior to joining the Scottish League. There is also some controversy over Berwick's identity *
Chant
An amusing chant used by Berwick Rangers was featured in a question on a special edition of TV quiz show They Think It's All Over. It is possible that the chant was a hoax, although footage of fans using the chant was used.
The format is such that the volume-gifted leader shouts out the line, and the group repeats his words, with a variation in the initial line.
Go left go right go pick sticks, Go left go right go leh-eft
- (Repeat)
I wantto be a Berwick Ranger
- (Repeat)
Only live for sex and danger
- (Repeat)
Perhaps slightly out of line, Hancock concluded the question by saying that you can have both sex and danger at the same time in Berwick, as "some of the sheep up there have herpes".
Honours
Second Division:(1) 1978/79
Club Records
Biggest league win: 8-1 .v. Forfar Athletic F.C.(1965)
Biggest cup win: 8-1 .v. Vale of Leithen F.C.(1966)
Biggest league loss: 1-9 .v. Hamilton F.C. in 1980
Biggest home attendance: 13,365 .v. Rangers F.C., 1967
Most goals in a season: 38 by Ken Bowran 1963/64
External links
Scottish football clubs | English football clubs | Sport in Northumberland | Berwick-upon-Tweed
"Berwick Rangers F.C."