Brechin City
Formed 1906
Founder member of Scottish Division Three 1923. Joined the Scottish Alliance in 1926 after the collapse of Division Three.
Elected to Scottish Division Two 1929.
Kit History
1906-1909 i
1909-1910 m
1910-1926
1926-1929 i
1927-1929 Away i
1930-1931 i
1931-1932 i
1932-1935 i
1935-1936 k
1936-1937 e g i
1949-1950 a i
1954-1955 f
1955-1956 i
1956-1957 j
1958-1960 i
1960-1961 i
1961-1963 i
1964-1968 f i
1964-1968 alt
1968-1969 i
1969-1970 a i
1970-1975 i
1975-1976 i
1977-1978 i
1978-1982 a l p
1982-1984 a h l
1984-1985 a l
1985-1988 j l
1988-1990 h n
1990-1992 l
1992-1994 h l
1994-1995 l
1995-1996 l
1996-1997 l o
1997-1999 l
1999-2001 h l
2001-2002 b c
2002-2003 a
2003-2005a
2005-2006 a
2006-2007 a
2007-2008 a
Aug-Oct 2009 a
Oct 2009-2010 a
2010-2011 a
2011-2012 a
2012-2013 a
Background
Brechin City was formed when
Brechin Harp and Brechin Hearts merged to form a single senior club at
the urging of a deputation from the Forfarshire FA. Their registered colours in the late 20s featured light blue stockings, highly unusual at a time when stockings were generally dark in colour. They were admitted
to the Scottish League in 1923 but returned to non-league competition
when the Third Division was abandoned in 1926.
The club got a second chance in 1929 when Bathgate and Armadale resigned. Brechin, Montrose and Nithsdale Wanderers applied for the vacancies, Nithsdale failing to be elected. Brechin had a poor record, usually finishing near the bottom of the table although they did manage tenth place in 1939, their highest position prior to World War Two.
Having played in various shades of blue from their formation, Brechin adopted black and white hoops in 1935, initially worn with plain white socks, which were highly unusual at the time.
When the Scottish League resumed in 1946, Brechin
were placed in the new Division C (third tier), which comprised mainly
of reserve sides. In 1954 they were champions and earned their first
ever promotion. The following season they changed dropped their black
and white hooped shirts in favour of plain red. They finished in last
place and would have been relegated had Division C not been scrapped
at the end of the season. During the 1950s the team did rather better,
finishing regularly in the top six and winning the Qualifying Cup in
1951. The next decade is probably best forgotten: between 1962 and 1974
they finished 
rock bottom no fewer than seven times. It was therefore
no surprise when they were placed in the new Second Division (now the
third tier) when the league was restructured after the creation of the
Scottish Premier Division.
The first time that Brechin sported any kind of badge appears to have been in 1978 when the club's initials were embroidered on their shirts. When Barralan supplied their kit, the lettering was arranged in two horizontal lines rather than the more conventional diagonal.
In 1983 this little club won a second championship
and promotion to the First Division (second tier). Two years later a new badge appeared that featured Brechin cathedral 
and a football. This was updated about a decade later to a version more suited to print reproduction.
After four seasons in the First Division, City went down once more and for the next few seasons they bounced between the third and second tier, dropped into the new Third Division (fourth tier) in 1995 only to return the following season. In recent years they have bounced between the Third and Second Divisions on a regular basis.
Glebe Park, which has a current capacity of just under 4,000, is noted for a hedge that runs down one side of the pitch.
Sources
- (a) Brechin City Official Site
- (b) Albion Rovers Official Site
- (c) BBC
- (d) Classic Football Shirts
- (e) London Hearts
- (f) e-bay
- (g) Stephen Mitchell
- (h) Ayr United FC - Images of Sport (Duncan Carmichael 2002)
- (h) SNSpix
- (i) Alick Milne
- (j) Ralph Pomeroy
- (k) Willie McKay
- (l) Donald Gellatly
- (m) The Dundee United Official Centenary History by Peter Rundo & Mike Watson (Birlinn 2009 ISBN 978 1 84158 828 5)
- (n) Keith Ellis
- (o) Old Football Shirts
- (p) Michael Gluck
Modern crests are the property of Brechin City FC.