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(Redirected from Airdrie United)
'Airdrie United Football Club' are a Scottish professional association football team based in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Second Division.
The club was formed in May 2002 as a direct consequence of the bankruptcy of Airdrieonians. Airdrieonians had finished runners-up in the Scottish First Division in the 2001/02 season but went out of business with debts approaching £3 million. The collapse of "The Diamonds", as they were known due to their distinctive kits, created a vacancy in the Scottish Football League (in the Scottish Third Division) and local Airdrie man and Airdrieonians fan Jim Ballantyne attempted, with the help of others, to gain entry with a club called "Airdrie United" who were essentially to be a re-incarnation of Airdrieonians. Their application, however, was rejected as the then English UniBond League side Gretna were preferred by league members over the new Airdrie team. As a last resort, Ballantyne completed a buy-out of the ailing Division Two side Clydebank and, with SFL approval, the club was relocated to Airdrie, the strips were transformed to resemble that of Airdrieonians and the name was changed to Airdrie United.
Airdrie United's first season in existence saw the club take the form of promotion challengers and only narrowly fail to achieve this aim due to late injury-time goal from Brechin City which saw them promoted ahead of the Diamonds. In fact, Airdrie fans and players alike had begun celebrating promotion after their game at Stranraer until news of Brechin's result brought an end to the festivities.
United's first, and so far only, trophy came in the 2003-04 season, only the club's second in existence, when they won the Second Division Championship and promotion to the First Division. The final game of the season saw a crowd of over 5000 at New Broomfield to see Airdrie defeat long-time league leaders Greenock Morton 2-0 and lift the League Championship trophy. Earlier in this season, the club reached the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup, but lost 2-0 to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
In Airdrie's first season in the Scottish First Division they finished 5th, a position exceeding the expectations of most supporters. The club lost several key players in the summer of 2005, and went into the 2005/06 season with little expectation of repeating the success of 2004/05, but they still managed to finish a respectable sixth.
On November 13, 2006, Sandy Stewart was relieved of his position as manager after over four years in charge of the club. He was succeeded by former Airdrieonians F.C. player and Airdrie United coach Kenny Black four days later.
Black had been a coach at Leicester City since 2004, and this was his first management post.[1]
Black, however, failed to inspire the Diamonds to any great extent and club finished the season 9th in the league, placing them in the Scottish First Division Play-Off position. They would have to be the victors in said Play-Off competition if they were to escape relegation.
Airdrie United got off to a promising start, cruising past Brechin City in the semi-final by an aggregate score of 6-1. This meant they only had to overcome Stirling Albion in a two-legged decider to ensure survival. Unfortunately the team drew the away leg of the tie 2-2 (having led 2-0 until the final five minutes) and lost the home game 3-2. Thus confirming the newly formed Airdrie's first relegation in their short history.
Airdrie's start to this season was a disappointing one as they kicked-off their Second Division campaign with poor performance and a loss to Raith Rovers. The display was so mediocre, in fact, that it resulted in some players, most notably summer signing James Sharp who had failed to impress in pre-season, being booed as they left the park at the final whistle. Things did not get better for the Diamonds in other competitions as they fell at the first hurdle away to Partick Thistle in the League Cup; losing 2-1 thanks to Stevie Murray's last gasp winner.
Off the park the Scottish Football League had finally found a sponsor for the First, Second and Third divisions in the form of Barr's flagship soft drink irn-bru[1] and a mystery consortium saved New Broomfield and promised to "safeguard it for the club"[2]. August of this season also saw the departure of long standing directors Gavin and Walter Spiers who left the club they had helped found due to the necessity that they devote more time to their ever growing business interests such as former Airdrie shirt sponsors Pertemps.
Following the aforementioned dismal start things had started to pick up for the Diamonds on the park as they notched up their first league win of the season with an impressive 6-0 win against Alloa Athletic, cruised to the second round of the Challenge Cup with a 3-1 victory over Third Division side Stenhousemuir and ended Queen's Park's 100% start to season when they defeated them by one goal to nil at New Broomfield[3]. With September beginning, however, the situation was hardly perfect as a 2-0 loss away to Berwick Rangers and 1-1 draw against Ross County at Victoria Park (which would almost certainly have been a defeat had Stephen Robertson not saved Andy Barrowman's last minute penalty[4]) left the Diamonds with 7 points from their first 5 league fixtures, sitting in 4th place, 5 points behind league leader Raith Rovers
Airdrie United play their home fixtures at New Broomfield, Airdrie, as the fans call the stadium, officially known as Excelsior Stadium. The defunct Airdrieonians' previous home was sold to supermarket chain Safeway (since taken over by Wm. Morrison), who were given permission to build a new store on the site. It is generally the opinion that this transaction is what effectively triggered the financial ruination of Airdrieonians, as their old ground was demolished several years before the new ground was given planning permission. The years that the club away from the town Airdrie (Airdrieonians ground-shared Broadwood Stadium, in Cumbernauld, with Clyde) meant that the money from the sale of Broomfield Park which was to be used to fund the building of new stadium, was squandered.
This hiatus and the cost incurred by the board of directors' building a stadium with a capacity in excess of 10,000, despite crowds being less than 2,000, didn't help the club's cause. The boards reasoning behind building a ground of such a high capacity was that the Scottish Premier League required clubs to play at a stadium with a capacity of at least a 10,000 seats for entry into their league. Ironically, the requirement is now only 6,000, which may have been enough to have saved Airdrieonians from the financial burden they faced when constructing their new home.
Airdrie United have inherited Airdrieonians' distinctive playing colours; a white top with a red diamond. This is where Airdrieonians' nickname, 'The Diamonds', finds its roots and, along with the strip design, Airdrie United have adopted the moniker.
The team was sponsored by 'Jobs@Pertemps' and donned the company's logo on their shirt from their first year in existence until the end of the 2006/07 season.
As of June 2007 Airdrie will be sponsored by 'A.R.P.' (Airdrie Regeneration Partnership), a local company. The contract is a lucrative one from Airdrie's point of view, the biggest in the history of the club in fact, with the Diamonds receiving £300,000 to spend over the next 5 years (£60k a season).
The Airdrie United programme is called "Diamonds are Forever". It is edited by 'John O'Brien' and photographs come courtesy of official club photographer 'Robert Dalzell'. Its design and layout is the work of 'Frank Tocher' and printing is provided by 'Walker & Connell Ltd.'
The average Airdrie United programme begins with a listing of the two teams' squads, the officials for the day, a short reference to the team mascot and a note of thanks to the sponsors. Then comes a message from the club's chairman, Jim Ballantyne, and a short rundown of club news. Regular features of the programme include "Diamond Tales", a section where great memories of Airdrie United (and more often than not Airdrieonians') adventures are recounted. "Past & Present" is a selection of match reports provided by editor 'John O'Brien' while "The Diamonds Log" looks at the recent day to day goings on within the club. Another regular article, "Diamonds are Forever", focusses on the history of Airdrie United and, of course, Airdrieonians. Said article is provided by writer 'Brian Bollen' who has had a book published on the history of Airdrieonians. Following this comes a note on commercial matters within the club from commercial manager 'Les Jones' and a review of the current football scene with relation to Airdrie United by 'Jim Milton'. Additionally, there is, as is common with most football programmes, a note of statistics of the season, a contribution from the manager, a piece on the visiting side, an interview with an Airdrie player, photographs from the previous match and a youth team segment. Advertisements are interspersed throughout and the editor is also responsible for another two pieces concerning the club.
'Board of Directors'
★ Chairman: 'Jim Ballentyne'
★ Directors: 'Ann Marie Ballantyne, John Ballantyne, Rose Ballantyne,
★ Honorary President: 'Ian McMillan'
'Senior Club Staff'
★ Secretary: 'Ann Marie Ballantyne'
★ Commercial Manager: 'Les Jones'
★ Groundsman: 'John McGuire'
★ Kitman: 'John Donnelly'
★ Programme Editor: 'John O'Brien'
★ Club Photographer: 'Robert Dalzell'
★ Season Ticket Co-ordinater: 'Scott Gilkinson'
★ Fans' Representative: 'Veronica MacGregor'
'Management'
★ Manager: 'Kenny Black'
★ Coach/Under 19s Manager: 'Jimmy Boyle'
'Medical Staff'
★ Club Doctor: 'Stuart Paterson' BSC (HONS), MRCHB, MRCP (UK)
★ Physiotherapist: 'Michael McLauchlan'
★ Owen Coyle
★ Stephen Docherty
★ Alan Gow
★ Willie McLaren
★ Allan McManus
★ Sandy Stewart
★ 'Gavin Spiers'
★ 'Walter Spiers'
★ Scottish First Division
★ Excelsior Stadium
★ Airdrieonians Football Club
1. "SFL ends search for new sponsor" article from BBC Sport
2. "Mystery group saves club ground" article from BBC Sport
3. "Airdrie United 1-0 Queen's Park" article from BBC Sport
4. "Ross County 1-1 Airdrie Utd" article from BBC Sport
★ airdrieunitedfc.com
★ Airdrie United BBC Sport page
★ Airdrie Football Club News
★ Airdrie United at Football.co.uk
★ Airdrie United at The Airdrie Page
★ Official Club Photographer Robert Dalzell
★ Neil Milton's Airdrie United photography
★ The Broomfield Stomp messageboard
★ Ceefax's Airdrie United Website
★ Halftimebovril.com - A Tour of the 42 professional Scottish Football Grounds
'Airdrie United Football Club' are a Scottish professional association football team based in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Second Division.
History
Formation following Demise of Airdrieonians
The club was formed in May 2002 as a direct consequence of the bankruptcy of Airdrieonians. Airdrieonians had finished runners-up in the Scottish First Division in the 2001/02 season but went out of business with debts approaching £3 million. The collapse of "The Diamonds", as they were known due to their distinctive kits, created a vacancy in the Scottish Football League (in the Scottish Third Division) and local Airdrie man and Airdrieonians fan Jim Ballantyne attempted, with the help of others, to gain entry with a club called "Airdrie United" who were essentially to be a re-incarnation of Airdrieonians. Their application, however, was rejected as the then English UniBond League side Gretna were preferred by league members over the new Airdrie team. As a last resort, Ballantyne completed a buy-out of the ailing Division Two side Clydebank and, with SFL approval, the club was relocated to Airdrie, the strips were transformed to resemble that of Airdrieonians and the name was changed to Airdrie United.
Inaugural Season (2002/03)
Airdrie United's first season in existence saw the club take the form of promotion challengers and only narrowly fail to achieve this aim due to late injury-time goal from Brechin City which saw them promoted ahead of the Diamonds. In fact, Airdrie fans and players alike had begun celebrating promotion after their game at Stranraer until news of Brechin's result brought an end to the festivities.
First Success (2003/04)
United's first, and so far only, trophy came in the 2003-04 season, only the club's second in existence, when they won the Second Division Championship and promotion to the First Division. The final game of the season saw a crowd of over 5000 at New Broomfield to see Airdrie defeat long-time league leaders Greenock Morton 2-0 and lift the League Championship trophy. Earlier in this season, the club reached the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup, but lost 2-0 to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Mid-Table in First Division (2004/05 & 2005/06)
In Airdrie's first season in the Scottish First Division they finished 5th, a position exceeding the expectations of most supporters. The club lost several key players in the summer of 2005, and went into the 2005/06 season with little expectation of repeating the success of 2004/05, but they still managed to finish a respectable sixth.
Sacking of Sandy Stewart and Relegation (2006/07)
On November 13, 2006, Sandy Stewart was relieved of his position as manager after over four years in charge of the club. He was succeeded by former Airdrieonians F.C. player and Airdrie United coach Kenny Black four days later.
Black had been a coach at Leicester City since 2004, and this was his first management post.[1]
Black, however, failed to inspire the Diamonds to any great extent and club finished the season 9th in the league, placing them in the Scottish First Division Play-Off position. They would have to be the victors in said Play-Off competition if they were to escape relegation.
Airdrie United got off to a promising start, cruising past Brechin City in the semi-final by an aggregate score of 6-1. This meant they only had to overcome Stirling Albion in a two-legged decider to ensure survival. Unfortunately the team drew the away leg of the tie 2-2 (having led 2-0 until the final five minutes) and lost the home game 3-2. Thus confirming the newly formed Airdrie's first relegation in their short history.
Kenny Black's Airdrie (2007/08)
Airdrie's start to this season was a disappointing one as they kicked-off their Second Division campaign with poor performance and a loss to Raith Rovers. The display was so mediocre, in fact, that it resulted in some players, most notably summer signing James Sharp who had failed to impress in pre-season, being booed as they left the park at the final whistle. Things did not get better for the Diamonds in other competitions as they fell at the first hurdle away to Partick Thistle in the League Cup; losing 2-1 thanks to Stevie Murray's last gasp winner.
Off the park the Scottish Football League had finally found a sponsor for the First, Second and Third divisions in the form of Barr's flagship soft drink irn-bru[1] and a mystery consortium saved New Broomfield and promised to "safeguard it for the club"[2]. August of this season also saw the departure of long standing directors Gavin and Walter Spiers who left the club they had helped found due to the necessity that they devote more time to their ever growing business interests such as former Airdrie shirt sponsors Pertemps.
Following the aforementioned dismal start things had started to pick up for the Diamonds on the park as they notched up their first league win of the season with an impressive 6-0 win against Alloa Athletic, cruised to the second round of the Challenge Cup with a 3-1 victory over Third Division side Stenhousemuir and ended Queen's Park's 100% start to season when they defeated them by one goal to nil at New Broomfield[3]. With September beginning, however, the situation was hardly perfect as a 2-0 loss away to Berwick Rangers and 1-1 draw against Ross County at Victoria Park (which would almost certainly have been a defeat had Stephen Robertson not saved Andy Barrowman's last minute penalty[4]) left the Diamonds with 7 points from their first 5 league fixtures, sitting in 4th place, 5 points behind league leader Raith Rovers
Club Information
Stadium
New Broomfield main entrance
Airdrie United play their home fixtures at New Broomfield, Airdrie, as the fans call the stadium, officially known as Excelsior Stadium. The defunct Airdrieonians' previous home was sold to supermarket chain Safeway (since taken over by Wm. Morrison), who were given permission to build a new store on the site. It is generally the opinion that this transaction is what effectively triggered the financial ruination of Airdrieonians, as their old ground was demolished several years before the new ground was given planning permission. The years that the club away from the town Airdrie (Airdrieonians ground-shared Broadwood Stadium, in Cumbernauld, with Clyde) meant that the money from the sale of Broomfield Park which was to be used to fund the building of new stadium, was squandered.
This hiatus and the cost incurred by the board of directors' building a stadium with a capacity in excess of 10,000, despite crowds being less than 2,000, didn't help the club's cause. The boards reasoning behind building a ground of such a high capacity was that the Scottish Premier League required clubs to play at a stadium with a capacity of at least a 10,000 seats for entry into their league. Ironically, the requirement is now only 6,000, which may have been enough to have saved Airdrieonians from the financial burden they faced when constructing their new home.
The second ever Airdrie United Home Shirt
Strip
Airdrie United have inherited Airdrieonians' distinctive playing colours; a white top with a red diamond. This is where Airdrieonians' nickname, 'The Diamonds', finds its roots and, along with the strip design, Airdrie United have adopted the moniker.
Shirt Sponsorship
The team was sponsored by 'Jobs@Pertemps' and donned the company's logo on their shirt from their first year in existence until the end of the 2006/07 season.
As of June 2007 Airdrie will be sponsored by 'A.R.P.' (Airdrie Regeneration Partnership), a local company. The contract is a lucrative one from Airdrie's point of view, the biggest in the history of the club in fact, with the Diamonds receiving £300,000 to spend over the next 5 years (£60k a season).
Matchday Programme
'Diamonds are Forever' cover
The Airdrie United programme is called "Diamonds are Forever". It is edited by 'John O'Brien' and photographs come courtesy of official club photographer 'Robert Dalzell'. Its design and layout is the work of 'Frank Tocher' and printing is provided by 'Walker & Connell Ltd.'
The average Airdrie United programme begins with a listing of the two teams' squads, the officials for the day, a short reference to the team mascot and a note of thanks to the sponsors. Then comes a message from the club's chairman, Jim Ballantyne, and a short rundown of club news. Regular features of the programme include "Diamond Tales", a section where great memories of Airdrie United (and more often than not Airdrieonians') adventures are recounted. "Past & Present" is a selection of match reports provided by editor 'John O'Brien' while "The Diamonds Log" looks at the recent day to day goings on within the club. Another regular article, "Diamonds are Forever", focusses on the history of Airdrie United and, of course, Airdrieonians. Said article is provided by writer 'Brian Bollen' who has had a book published on the history of Airdrieonians. Following this comes a note on commercial matters within the club from commercial manager 'Les Jones' and a review of the current football scene with relation to Airdrie United by 'Jim Milton'. Additionally, there is, as is common with most football programmes, a note of statistics of the season, a contribution from the manager, a piece on the visiting side, an interview with an Airdrie player, photographs from the previous match and a youth team segment. Advertisements are interspersed throughout and the editor is also responsible for another two pieces concerning the club.
Club Officials
'Board of Directors'
★ Chairman: 'Jim Ballentyne'
★ Directors: 'Ann Marie Ballantyne, John Ballantyne, Rose Ballantyne,
★ Honorary President: 'Ian McMillan'
'Senior Club Staff'
★ Secretary: 'Ann Marie Ballantyne'
★ Commercial Manager: 'Les Jones'
★ Groundsman: 'John McGuire'
★ Kitman: 'John Donnelly'
★ Programme Editor: 'John O'Brien'
★ Club Photographer: 'Robert Dalzell'
★ Season Ticket Co-ordinater: 'Scott Gilkinson'
★ Fans' Representative: 'Veronica MacGregor'
'Management'
★ Manager: 'Kenny Black'
★ Coach/Under 19s Manager: 'Jimmy Boyle'
'Medical Staff'
★ Club Doctor: 'Stuart Paterson' BSC (HONS), MRCHB, MRCP (UK)
★ Physiotherapist: 'Michael McLauchlan'
Current squad
Managers
| Name | Reign | Achievements |
|---|---|---|
| Kenny Black | 2006- | |
| Sandy Stewart | 2002 to 2006 | Scottish Second Division Champions 2003/04 |
| Challenge Cup Runners-Up 2003/04 |
Statistics
Final League Standings
| Year | League | Position | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006/07 | First Division | 9th | 36 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 39 | 50 | -11 | 40 | Relegated to Second Division after defeat in Play-Offs |
| 2005/06 | First Division | 6th | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 45 | |
| 2004/05 | First Division | 5th | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 34 | 48 | -14 | 50 | |
| 2003/04 | Second Division | 1st | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 70 | Promoted to First Division as Champions |
| 2002/03 | Second Division | 3rd | 36 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 54 |
Average Attendance
| Top League Goalscorers
|
Official Club Player of the Year Awards
| Year | Senior Player of the Year | Young Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2006/07 | Neil McGowan | Stephen McKenna |
| 2005/06 | Bryan Prunty | Steven McDougall |
| 2004/05 | Marvyn Wilson | Stephen McKenna |
| 2003/04 | David Dunn | Willie McLaren |
| 2002/03 | Jerome Vareille | Stephen McKeown |
Notable Former Staff
Players
★ Owen Coyle
★ Stephen Docherty
★ Alan Gow
★ Willie McLaren
★ Allan McManus
Managers
★ Sandy Stewart
Directors
★ 'Gavin Spiers'
★ 'Walter Spiers'
See also
★ Scottish First Division
★ Excelsior Stadium
★ Airdrieonians Football Club
References
1. "SFL ends search for new sponsor" article from BBC Sport
2. "Mystery group saves club ground" article from BBC Sport
3. "Airdrie United 1-0 Queen's Park" article from BBC Sport
4. "Ross County 1-1 Airdrie Utd" article from BBC Sport
External links
Official Site
★ airdrieunitedfc.com
News Pages
★ Airdrie United BBC Sport page
★ Airdrie Football Club News
★ Airdrie United at Football.co.uk
★ Airdrie United at The Airdrie Page
Photography
★ Official Club Photographer Robert Dalzell
★ Neil Milton's Airdrie United photography
Fan Sites
★ The Broomfield Stomp messageboard
★ Ceefax's Airdrie United Website
Miscellaneous
★ Halftimebovril.com - A Tour of the 42 professional Scottish Football Grounds
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