List of winners of the Scottish League One and predecessors

A national third tier of Scottish league football was first established in the 1923–24 season as Division Three, but it only lasted for two full seasons due to the costs of meeting match guarantees and travel and other expenses being beyond most member clubs' capacity to pay.

As a result, the third-tier league was dissolved, and would not be re-established until 1946–47 with the C Division, which also included reserve teams of the clubs from the divisions above. Division C operated as a national competition for the first three seasons; thereafter, it was split into two regional sections until season 1954–55, when the third tier was again dissolved.[1]

The third tier was re-established in 1975–76 season, when a division known as the Second Division was set up. Its status within the Scottish football league system league system changed in season 1998–99, when clubs from the top tier (Premier Division) broke away from the Scottish Football League to form the Scottish Premier League. The Second Division was still the third tier of the Scottish league system, but became the second level of the Scottish Football League rather than the third. In 2013, the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League merged to form the Scottish Professional Football League, with the third tier becoming known as the Scottish League One.

Scottish Football League Division Three (1923–1926)

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Season Winner Runner-up
1923–24 Arthurlie East Stirlingshire
1924–25 Nithsdale Wanderers Queen of the South
1925–26 Championship withheld[A]
1926–1946 No third tier
A Helensburgh had the most points, whereas Leith Athletic had a better points to match ratio.[2]

Scottish Football League Division C (1946–1955)

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[3][4]

Season Section Winner Runner-up
1946–47 Stirling Albion Dundee 'A'
1947–48 East Stirlingshire East Fife 'A'
1948–49 Forfar Athletic Leith Athletic
1949–50 South-East Hibernian 'A' Heart of Midlothian 'A'
South-West Clyde 'A' Rangers 'A'
1950–51 North-East Heart of Midlothian 'A' Aberdeen 'A'
South-West Clyde 'A' Ayr United 'A'
1951–52 North-East Dundee 'A' Heart of Midlothian 'A'
South-West Rangers 'A' Morton 'A'
1952–53 North-East Aberdeen 'A' Hibernian 'A'
South-West Rangers 'A' (2) Partick Thistle 'A'
1953–54 North-East Brechin City Aberdeen 'A'
South-West Rangers 'A' (3) Partick Thistle 'A'
1954–55 North-East Aberdeen 'A' (2) Hibernian 'A'
South-West Partick Thistle 'A' Rangers 'A'
1955–1975 No third tier

Scottish Football League Second Division (1975–2013)

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Season Winner Runner-up Top scorer[5]
Player Goals
1975–76 Clydebank Raith Rovers Mickey Lawson (Stirling Albion) 18
1976–77 Stirling Albion (2) Alloa Athletic Derek Frye (Stranraer) 24
1977–78 Clyde Raith Rovers Derek Frye (Stranraer) 27
1978–79 Berwick Rangers Dunfermline Athletic Bruce Cleland (Albion Rovers) 24
1979–80 Falkirk East Stirlingshire Ian Campbell (Brechin City) 25
1980–81 Queen's Park Queen of the South Steve Hancock (Stenhousemuir) 20
1981–82 Clyde (2) Alloa Athletic Danny Masterton (Clyde) 23
1982–83 Brechin City (2) Meadowbank Thistle Rowan Alexander (Queen of the South)
Ian Campbell (Brechin City)
23
1983–84 Forfar Athletic (2) East Fife Jim Liddle (Forfar Athletic) 22
1984–85 Montrose Alloa Athletic Bernie Slaven (Albion Rovers) 27
1985–86 Dunfermline Athletic Queen of the South Paul Smith (Raith Rovers)
Keith Wright (Raith Rovers)
21
1986–87 Meadowbank Thistle Raith Rovers John Sludden (Ayr United) 26
1987–88 Ayr United St Johnstone John Sludden (Ayr United) 31
1988–89 Albion Rovers Alloa Athletic Charlie Lytwyn (Alloa Athletic) 23
1989–90 Brechin City (3) Kilmarnock Willie Watters (Kilmarnock) 23
1990–91 Stirling Albion (3) Montrose Mike Hendry (Queen's Park) 17
1991–92 Dumbarton Cowdenbeath Andy Thomson (Queen of the South) 26
1992–93 Clyde (3) Brechin City Miller Mathieson (Stenhousemuir) 26
1993–94 Stranraer Berwick Rangers Andy Thomson (Queen of the South) 29
1994–95 Morton Dumbarton Martin Mooney (Dumbarton) 17
1995–96 Stirling Albion (4) East Fife Steve McCormick (Stirling Albion) 25
1996–97 Ayr United (2) Hamilton Academical Paul Ritchie (Hamilton Academical) 31
1997–98 Stranraer (2) Clydebank Iain Stewart (Inverness Caledonian Thistle) 16
1998–99 Livingston (2) Inverness Caledonian Thistle Alex Bone (Stirling Albion) 21
1999–00 Clyde (4) Alloa Athletic Ally Graham (Stirling Albion) 17
2000–01 Partick Thistle Arbroath Isaac English (Stenhousemuir) 18
2001–02 Queen of the South Alloa Athletic John O'Neill (Queen of the South)
Paul Tosh (Forfar Athletic)
19
2002–03 Raith Rovers Brechin City Chris Templeman (Brechin City) 21
2003–04 Airdrie United Hamilton Academical Gareth Hutchison (Berwick Rangers) 22
2004–05 Brechin City (4) Stranraer Paul Shields (Forfar Athletic) 20
2005–06 Gretna Greenock Morton Kenny Deuchar (Gretna) 18
2006–07 Greenock Morton (2) Stirling Albion Iain Russell (Brechin City) 21
2007–08 Ross County Airdrie United Andy Barrowman (Ross County) 24
2008–09 Raith Rovers (2) Ayr United Kevin Smith (Raith Rovers) 18
2009–10 Stirling Albion (5) Alloa Athletic Rory McAllister (Brechin City) 21
2010–11 Livingston (3) Ayr United Mark Roberts (Ayr United)
Iain Russell (Livingston)
21
2011–12 Cowdenbeath Arbroath Steven Doris (Arbroath) 21
2012–13 Queen of the South (2) Alloa Athletic Nicky Clark (Queen of the South) 32

Scottish League One (2013–)

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Season Winner Runner-up Top scorer
Player Goals
2013–14 Rangers Dunfermline Athletic Michael Moffat (Ayr United) 26
2014–15 Greenock Morton (3) Stranraer Declan McManus (Greenock Morton) 20
2015–16 Dunfermline Athletic (2) Ayr United Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Dunfermline Athletic)
Rory McAllister (Peterhead)
22
2016–17 Livingston (4) Alloa Athletic Andy Ryan (Airdrieonians) 23
2017–18 Ayr United (3) Raith Rovers Lawrence Shankland (Ayr United) 26
2018–19 Arbroath Forfar Athletic Kevin Nisbet (Raith Rovers) 30
2019–20[6] Raith Rovers (3) Falkirk David Goodwillie (Clyde) 20
2020–21 Partick Thistle (2) Airdrieonians Mitch Megginson (Cove Rangers) 14
2021–22 Cove Rangers Airdrieonians Mitch Megginson (Cove Rangers) 18
2022–23 Dunfermline Athletic (3) Falkirk Callum Gallagher (Airdrieonians)
Ruari Paton (Queen of the South)
22
2023–24 Falkirk (2) Hamilton Academical Callumn Morrison (Falkirk) 23

Total wins

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34 different clubs (counting reserve teams separately from first teams) have won the third tier of Scottish football. Three clubs (Clyde, Partick Thistle and Rangers) have won the third tier with both their first team and their reserve team.

As of 5 May 2024
Club Winners Runners-up
Stirling Albion 5 1
Brechin City 4 2
Livingston[note 1] 4 1
Clyde 4
Raith Rovers 3 4
Ayr United 3 3
Dunfermline Athletic 3 2
Rangers 'A' 3 2
Greenock Morton[note 2] 3 1
Queen of the South 2 3
Aberdeen 'A' 2 2
Falkirk 2 2
Stranraer 2 2
Forfar Athletic 2 1
Clyde 'A' 2
Partick Thistle 2
Airdrieonians[note 3] 1 3
Arbroath 1 2
East Stirlingshire 1 2
Heart of Midlothian 'A' 1 2
Hibernian 'A' 1 2
Partick Thistle 'A' 1 2
Berwick Rangers 1 1
Clydebank 1 1
Cowdenbeath 1 1
Dumbarton 1 1
Dundee 'A' 1 1
Montrose 1 1
Albion Rovers 1
Arthurlie 1
Cove Rangers 1
Gretna 1
Nithsdale Wanderers 1
Queen's Park 1
Rangers 1
Ross County 1
Alloa Athletic 9
Hamilton Academical 3
East Fife 2
Ayr United 'A' 1
East Fife 'A' 1
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1
Kilmarnock 1
Leith Athletic 1
Morton 'A' 1
St Johnstone 1
note 1 Livingston were known as Meadowbank Thistle between 1974 and 1995
note 2 Greenock Morton were known as Morton before 1994
note 3 Airdrieonians were known as Airdrie United before 2013

References

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Specific

  1. ^ Scottish Football League C Division overview, Scottish Football Historical Archive
  2. ^ "Scottish Football League Division Three Champions 1924–1926". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
  3. ^ Scottish Reserve League Competitions Part 2 1945-1955, Scottish Football Historical Archive 1 November 2020
  4. ^ The C Division – the “other clubs” division, Alan Bell, via Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database
  5. ^ "Scottish Football League & Scottish Premier League Top goalscorers per division". Scottish Football History. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Dundee Utd, Raith & Cove win titles & reconstruction talks start after Dundee vote". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.

General