The 2017–18 East of Scotland Football League (known for sponsorship reasons as the Central Taxis East of Scotland League) was the 89th season of the East of Scotland Football League, and the 4th season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. The season began on 12 August 2017 and ended on 12 May 2018. Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale were the defending champions.
| Season | 2017–18 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 August 2017 – 12 May 2018 |
| Champions | Kelty Hearts |
| Promoted | Kelty Hearts |
| Matches played | 156 |
| Goals scored | 823 (5.28 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Stuart Cargill (31 goals) Kelty Hearts |
| Biggest home win | Kelty Hearts 12–1 Peebles Rovers (24 February 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Eyemouth United 0–13 Kelty Hearts (14 October 2017) |
| Highest scoring | Eyemouth United 0–13 Kelty Hearts (14 October 2017) Burntisland Shipyard 10–3 Eyemouth United (10 February 2018) Kelty Hearts 12–1 Peebles Rovers (24 February 2018) |
| Longest winning run | 22 matches: Kelty Hearts |
| Longest unbeaten run | 23 matches: Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale |
| Longest winless run | 22 matches: Tweedmouth Rangers |
| Longest losing run | 19 matches: Tweedmouth Rangers |
| Highest attendance | 1,400[1]
Kelty Hearts 3–1 Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale (28 April 2018) |
← 2016–17 2018–19 →
All statistics correct as of 12 May 2017. | |
The league was increased to a 13-team division as Kelty Hearts applied to switch from the SJFA East Region Super League and Preston Athletic were relegated from the Lowland League.
Kelty Hearts were crowned champions on 28 April 2018, after a 3–1 win over Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in their final match. They secured promotion to the Lowland League after defeating South of Scotland Football League winners Threave Rovers 10–0 on aggregate. This was the first time that the Lowland League play-off had taken place.
Teams
edit
The following teams have changed division since the 2016–17 season.
To East of Scotland Football League
editRelegated from Lowland Football League
Transferred from East Superleague
| Team | Location | Home ground | Capacity | Seats | Floodlit | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burntisland Shipyard [SFA] | Burntisland | Recreation Park | 1,000 | 0 | No | [2] |
| Coldstream [SFA] | Coldstream | Home Park | 1,000 | 0 | No | [3] |
| Eyemouth United | Eyemouth | Warner Park | 500 | 0 | No | [4] |
| Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh | Riccarton Campus | 200 | 0 | No | [5] |
| Kelty Hearts [SFA] | Kelty | New Central Park | 3,000 | 0 | Yes | [6] |
| Leith Athletic | Edinburgh | Peffermill 3G | 500 | 0 | Yes | [7] |
| Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale | Edinburgh | Saughton Sports Complex | 1,000 | 0 | Yes | [8] |
| Ormiston | Ormiston | Recreation Park | 2,000 | 0 | No | [9] |
| Peebles Rovers | Peebles | Whitestone Park | 2,250 | 250 | No | [10] |
| Preston Athletic [SFA] | Prestonpans | Pennypit Park | 1,500 | 313 | Yes | [11] |
| Stirling University Reserves | Stirling | Gannochy Sports Centre | 1,000 | 0 | Yes | [12] |
| Tweedmouth Rangers | Berwick-upon-Tweed | Old Shielfield | 1,000 | 0 | No | [13] |
| Tynecastle | Edinburgh | Saughton Sports Complex | 1,000 | 0 | Yes | [14] |
SFA Club has an SFA Licence (as of 20 December 2017)[15] and are eligible to participate in the Lowland League promotion play-off should they win the league.
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelty Hearts (C, O, P) | 24 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 143 | 12 | +131 | 69 | Qualification for Lowland League play-off |
| 2 | Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale | 24 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 97 | 20 | +77 | 67 | |
| 3 | Preston Athletic | 24 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 74 | 36 | +38 | 51 | |
| 4 | Leith Athletic | 24 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 80 | 41 | +39 | 49 | |
| 5 | Tynecastle | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 79 | 48 | +31 | 39 | |
| 6 | Heriot-Watt University | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 39 | |
| 7 | Peebles Rovers | 24 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 59 | 73 | −14 | 38 | |
| 8 | Burntisland Shipyard | 24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 52 | 69 | −17 | 25 | |
| 9 | Stirling University Reserves | 24 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 48 | 73 | −25 | 24 | |
| 10 | Coldstream | 24 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 52 | 79 | −27 | 18 | |
| 11 | Eyemouth United | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 44 | 114 | −70 | 18 | |
| 12 | Ormiston | 24 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 17 | 68 | −51 | 12 | |
| 13 | Tweedmouth Rangers | 24 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 21 | 139 | −118 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
References
edit- ^ "THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS". Twitter. Kelty Hearts Football Club. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ Burntisland Shipyard, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Coldstream, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Eyemouth United, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Heriot-Watt Uni, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Kelty, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Leith Athletic, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Ormiston, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Peebles Rovers, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Preston Athletic, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Stirling University Reserves Archived 2016-07-02 at the Wayback Machine, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Tweedmouth Rangers, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Tynecastle, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ "Licensed Clubs - 2017" (PDF). Retrieved 20 December 2017.