Brechin City: The Five Minutes Spare Guide To The Club

The Hedge-Loving Heroes of Angus

If you’re searching for a football club that perfectly embodies the ups and downs of Scottish football, look no further than Brechin City. Currently plying their trade in the Highland League after a bit of a fall from grace, this Angus outfit has experienced more ups and downs than a particularly eventful rollercoaster. They’re the club with the hedge – yes, that’s right, the only professional football ground in Europe with a hedge running along the touchline – and they’ve managed to accumulate enough dramatic moments to fill several seasons of a football soap opera. The most recent of these was going from playing in the Scottish Championship (Tier 2) in 2018 to being part of the Scottish Highland League by 2021. That’s some tumble!

If you want to understand the full spectrum of Scottish football emotion, from the euphoria of promotion to the despair of becoming the first team in 126 years to complete a season without a single win, then Brechin City’s story is essential reading. Still curious, well read on…

Formation and Early History: When Hearts Met Harp

The story of Brechin City begins in 1906, though like most football club origin stories, it’s slightly more complicated than the official version suggests. The club was formed when officials from two local junior sides – Brechin Harp and Brechin Hearts – were summoned to a meeting at the Temperance Hall in City Road. A deputation from the Forfarshire Football Association had arrived with a proposition: wouldn’t Brechin benefit from having a single senior club rather than two successful junior sides competing against each other?

It was a sensible suggestion, and one that would prove prophetic. Brechin Harp dissolved to make way for the new venture, while Brechin Hearts continued as a junior side until the Great War put paid to their activities. The newly formed Brechin City won their first major honour in 1909-10, lifting the Forfarshire Cup with a team featuring nine players from the town itself – a level of local representation that would be virtually impossible in today’s football landscape.

The club initially played in light blue, before switching to their current red and white sometime in the 1950s. They settled at Glebe Park in 1919, a ground that would become famous for reasons the founding fathers could never have imagined. Who could have predicted that their hedge would one day be more famous than most of their players?

The League Years: A Masterclass in Yo-Yo Football

Brechin City joined the Scottish Football League in 1923 as founder members of the original Third Division. True to form, they immediately finished bottom of the league in their first season – a habit that would become disturbingly familiar over the decades. The Third Division was disbanded in 1926, but Brechin were back in 1929 when vacancies arose.

What followed was the kind of inconsistency that makes supporting lower-league football both thrilling and utterly exhausting. The 1937-38 season was particularly brutal: they not only finished bottom but suffered three separate 10-0 defeats – to Cowdenbeath, Albion Rovers, and Airdrieonians. It’s the sort of record that would break lesser clubs, but Brechin City has always been made of sterner stuff. To compound the misery between 1962 and 1974, they finished bottom of their division no fewer than seven times. However, good times were on the horizon.

The club’s fortunes began to change in the 1980s under the progressive leadership of David Will, who served as chairman for twenty years while simultaneously holding senior positions with the Scottish FA and FIFA. Under Will’s guidance, and with former Dundee stalwart Ian Fleming as player-manager, Brechin finally won their first league title in 1982-83, pipping Meadowbank Thistle to the Second Division championship by a single point. Anyway, let’s pause for a quick burst of light relief.

Fun Facts About Brechin City

Every football club accumulates its share of oddities over more than a century of existence, but Brechin City has managed to collect more curiosities than most:

The Hedge: Let’s address the elephant in the room, or rather, the hedge alongside the pitch. Glebe Park is the only professional football ground in Europe with a hedge running along the touchline. It’s not just any hedge either – it’s a proper beech hedge that turns a beautiful russet colour in autumn, creating what some have described as the most picturesque football ground in Scotland.

The Campbell Brothers: Brechin had the unique distinction of being managed by identical twin brothers in succession. Dick Campbell led the club to Third Division glory in 2001-02 and promotion to the First Division the following season before departing for Partick Thistle. His twin brother Ian, nicknamed “Pink,” took over and is also the club’s all-time record goalscorer with 131 goals.

Population Paradox: The biggest attendance in Glebe Park’s history was 8,123 for a Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen in 1973. The remarkable thing about this figure is that it exceeded the entire population of Brechin at the time, meaning more people were at the match than lived in the town.

The Subbuteo Connection: The club’s beautifully patterned pitch, created by groundsman Neil Wood, became so famous that table football manufacturers Subbuteo featured it in an advertisement. In the agricultural world of lower-league football, that’s about as glamorous as it gets.

The Resident Cat: Glebe Park currently has a resident cat (Dolly) that occasionally interrupts matches by strolling across the pitch. In a world of increasingly sterile football experiences, there’s something wonderfully authentic about a club cat treating the pitch as its personal territory.

The Three-Promotion Bounce: Between 1995 and 2000, Brechin City managed five changes of division in five seasons – a dizzying sequence of promotions and relegations that would challenge even the most dedicated supporters’ cardiovascular systems.

The Temperance Hall Origins: The club was founded in the Temperance Hall, which, given Scottish football’s relationship with alcohol, provides a delicious irony that still amuses locals today.

The Record Victories: While they’ve suffered plenty of heavy defeats, Brechin’s record victory is an impressive 12-1 against Thornhill in 1926. It’s the kind of scoreline that makes you wonder what on earth happened to the opposition goalkeeper.

Glory Days: The David Will Era and Beyond

Brechin City’s finest period came under the stewardship of David Will, a man whose influence extended far beyond the borders of Angus. Will wasn’t just a club chairman – he was vice-president of the Scottish FA and later vice-president of FIFA, bringing a level of footballing gravitas to Glebe Park that few clubs of Brechin’s size could match.

The 1982-83 season marked the club’s first league title triumph, ending decades of near misses and disappointments. Under player-manager Ian Fleming, they overcame Meadowbank Thistle by a single point to claim the Second Division championship. The David Will Stand behind one of the goals at Glebe Park still bears his name today, a fitting tribute to a man who transformed the club’s ambitions.

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw further success, with another Second Division title in 1989-90, this time edging out Kilmarnock by a single point. The club’s ability to win titles by the narrowest of margins became something of a trademark – perhaps fitting for a team that spent so much time on the margins of Scottish football.

Under Dick Campbell’s management in the early 2000s, Brechin enjoyed another purple patch. The 2001-02 Third Division championship was followed by immediate promotion to the First Division, giving the club two promotions in consecutive seasons. Chris Templeman’s 21 league goals in 2002-03 helped fire the club to the second tier, though they also reached the Scottish Challenge Cup final that year, losing 2-0 to Queen of the South.

The 2003 promotion was particularly dramatic. Needing just a point against Hamilton on the final day to secure promotion, Brechin found themselves 2-0 down at half-time. Meanwhile, Airdrie were playing at Stranraer, knowing that a Brechin defeat would send them up instead. When Airdrie’s match finished first, they mistakenly believed Brechin had lost and began celebrating. But Chris Templeman had other ideas, scoring a 93rd-minute equaliser to secure the point that clinched promotion in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

Character-Building Moments: The Struggles That Define a Club

Supporting Brechin City has never been for the faint of heart. The club’s history is punctuated by setbacks that would have finished lesser institutions, but somehow City has always found a way to bounce back, often more determined than before.

The 2017-18 season will go down as one of the most painful in Scottish football history. Having won promotion to the Championship for the first time in 11 years, Brechin’s return to the second tier was catastrophic. They became the first senior Scottish side in 126 years to complete a season without winning a single league match, ending with 0 wins, 4 draws, and 32 defeats. They scored just 20 goals all season and managed precisely zero away points.

The descent continued with back-to-back relegations in 2018-19 and 2019-20, the latter season curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic while Brechin sat bottom of League Two. The final indignity came in May 2021 when they lost 3-1 on aggregate to Lowland League side Kelty Hearts in the relegation play-offs, dropping out of the SPFL for the first time in 67 years.

Yet even in the Highland League, Brechin has shown characteristic resilience. After finishing third in their first season, they bounced back to win the Highland League title in 2022-23, beating Buckie Thistle 2-0 on the final day. The following season saw them miss out on the title by goal difference to the same Buckie Thistle, after both teams finished on 81 points.

The managerial merry-go-round has been equally dramatic. Patrick Cregg, the former Arsenal and St Johnstone midfielder, was appointed in June 2024 with high hopes of securing promotion back to the SPFL. However, after a promising start, results deteriorated and Cregg was sacked in March 2025 with the club sitting second in the Highland League but having surrendered a title-winning position to Brora Rangers.

What Makes Brechin City Special

In an era of sanitised football experiences and corporate machinations, Brechin City represents something increasingly rare – authenticity. This is a club where the hedge is as famous as the players, where the attendance can exceed the town’s population, and where consecutive relegations are met with the same stoic determination that greets unexpected promotions.

The club’s relationship with its community runs deeper than most. When you’re the only professional football team in a town of 7,000 people, you become more than just a sports club – you become a focal point for local identity. The fact that their 1909-10 Forfarshire Cup-winning team featured nine players from Brechin itself speaks to a connection with place that modern football has largely lost.

Glebe Park itself embodies this unique character. Where else can you watch football while contemplating a beautifully maintained hedge, with a church spire providing the backdrop and the possibility of a cat interrupting play? It’s the kind of setting that makes you understand why people fall in love with lower-league football, even when – especially when – the results don’t always go your way.

The club’s ability to attract figures like David Will, who could have been involved with any club in world football, demonstrates that there’s something special about Brechin City that transcends league position or commercial success. It’s about character, community, and the kind of authentic football experience that’s becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.

Notable Connections and Famous Faces

For a club that has spent most of its existence in the lower reaches of Scottish football, Brechin City has attracted some surprisingly notable figures over the years.

David Will remains the most significant name in the club’s history. His twenty-year tenure as chairman coincided with the club’s most successful period, but his influence extended far beyond Angus. As vice-president of FIFA, Will was one of the most powerful figures in world football, yet he never forgot his roots at Glebe Park.

The Campbell brothers, Dick and Ian, represent a unique chapter in the club’s history. Dick’s success as manager, winning the Third Division title and securing consecutive promotions, was remarkable enough. But having his identical twin brother take over and continue the success story while also being the club’s record goalscorer is the kind of coincidence that could only happen at a club like Brechin.

Ian Fleming, the former Dundee stalwart who guided the club to their first league title as player-manager, brought a level of professionalism and ambition that transformed expectations at Glebe Park. His combination of playing and coaching experience proved perfect for a club ready to make the step up.

More recently, Patrick Cregg’s appointment as manager in 2024 demonstrated that the club could still attract players with impressive pedigrees. The former Arsenal and St Johnstone midfielder, a Scottish Cup winner with Saints, chose Brechin as his first management role despite other opportunities. Though his tenure ended in disappointment, it showed that the club’s ambitions remained intact.

Ray McKinnon, the former Dundee United and Raith Rovers manager, has now taken on the challenge of returning the club to the SPFL. His previous spell at Glebe Park between 2012-2015 had seen two promotion play-off campaigns, suggesting he understands what it takes to succeed at this level.

Modern Day Reality: Highland League Ambitions

Today’s Brechin City finds itself in an unusual position. Having tasted life in the Championship as recently as 2017-18, they’re now mixing it with Highland League stalwarts like Brora Rangers, Buckie Thistle, and Fraserburgh. For a club that once rubbed shoulders with Queen of the South and Greenock Morton, it’s a significant adjustment.

The Highland League is a different beast entirely. The distances are vast, the facilities variable, and the level of professionalism inconsistent. Yet Brechin has approached this new challenge with typical determination, winning the title in their second season and consistently challenging for promotion back to the SPFL.

The pyramid play-offs offer a route back to the national leagues, but they’re fiendishly difficult. The 2023 defeat to The Spartans on penalties, despite winning the second leg 3-2, highlighted just how fine the margins are. One penalty shootout can determine whether a season is remembered as successful or disappointing.

The appointment of Ray McKinnon as manager represents a statement of intent. His experience at Championship level with Dundee United and successful spells with Raith Rovers demonstrate that the club hasn’t abandoned its ambitions. The challenge now is to find the consistency that has often eluded them throughout their history.

Attendances have remained impressively loyal despite the drop down the divisions. The club’s Highland League crowds would be respectable at many SPFL clubs, testament to a fanbase that understands the importance of sticking with their team through thick and thin.

By the Numbers: The Statistics That Tell the Story

No football club guide would be complete without examining the cold, hard numbers that reveal the true character of an institution. Brechin City’s statistics paint a picture of a club that has experienced the full range of emotions that football can provide:

Stadium and Attendance Records

• Current Ground: Glebe Park (since 1919), capacity 4,123 (1,519 seated)
• Record Attendance: 8,123 vs Aberdeen (Scottish Cup), 3rd February 1973
• Unique Distinction: The only professional football ground in Europe with a hedge running along the touchline
• Average Highland League Attendance: Around 500-600, impressive for this level and even more so given the towns population.

On-Field Records

• Record Victory: 12-1 vs Thornhill, 23rd January 1926
• Record Defeats: 0-10 vs Airdrieonians, Cowdenbeath, and Albion Rovers (all in 1937-38 season)
• Most Unwanted Record: First Scottish team in 126 years to complete a league season without a single win (2017-18 Championship)
• League Titles: Three third-tier championships (1982-83, 1989-90, 2001-02)
• Highland League Title: 2022-23

Historical Milestones

• Founded: 1906 (merger of Brechin Harp and Brechin Hearts)
• Scottish League Entry: 1923 (original Third Division)
• First League Title: 1982-83 (Second Division)
• Highest Level: 2018 Scottish Championship (second tier)
• SPFL Departure: 2021 (relegated to the Highland League after 67 years)

Cup Competition Records

• Scottish Cup Best: Quarter-finals (reached on several occasions)
• Scottish Challenge Cup: Runners-up 2002 (lost 2-0 to Queen of the South)
• Scottish League Cup: Semi-finals (1957-58)

The David Will Era Statistics

• League Titles Won: 2 (1982-83, 1989-90)
• Title Winning Margins: Both won by a single point
• Stand named after him: David Will Stand (behind the goal at Glebe Park)
• Will’s Other Roles: Scottish FA vice-president, FIFA vice-president

The Campbell Brothers Legacy

• Dick Campbell: Third Division champions 2001-02, consecutive promotions
• Ian Campbell: Record goalscorer with 131 goals. He also managed the club in 2003-2004
• Combined Impact: Only known case of identical twin brothers managing the same club consecutively; now that could have gotten confusing!

Modern Struggles

• Championship Season Record: 0 wins, 4 draws, 32 defeats (2017-18)
• Goals Scored: 20 (2017-18 Championship season)
• Away Points: 0 (2017-18 Championship season)
• Consecutive Relegations: 2018, 2019, 2021

These numbers tell the story of a club that has experienced the complete spectrum of football emotions. From the euphoria of winning titles by single points to the despair of not winning a single game all season, Brechin City’s statistics reflect a journey that few clubs can match for sheer dramatic content.

The fact that their record attendance exceeded the town’s population remains one of the most remarkable statistics in Scottish football. It’s a figure that perfectly encapsulates what makes Brechin City special – a small club capable of achieving extraordinary things when the circumstances align.

The Eternal Optimists of Angus

Brechin City’s story is far from over. After more than a century of ups and downs, promotions and relegations, title triumphs and relegation heartbreaks, the club continues to embody the enduring appeal of Scottish football. They’re currently battling to return to the SPFL under Ray McKinnon’s guidance. If they can recreate the drive and ambition that saw them reach the Championship just a few years ago, we think a return to the league is possible.

In a football landscape increasingly dominated by money and marketing, Brechin City represents something more authentic – a club where the hedge is as famous as the players, where the community rallies around the team whether they’re challenging for promotion or fighting relegation, and where every season brings the possibility of unexpected drama. After all, you have to love a club that once had a bigger crowd than the population of the town!

This being Brechin City, you can be certain that whatever happens next, it won’t be boring. Whether they’re climbing back up the divisions or finding new ways to surprise their long-suffering supporters, the club remains a fascinating case study of the unpredictability of Scottish football (outside of the big two).

The hedge will continue to grow, the attendance might once again exceed the town’s population, and somewhere in the distance, the cathedral bells will continue to ring out over a football ground unlike any other in the world. That’s the magic of Brechin City – a club that proves football isn’t just about winning and losing, but about belonging to something bigger than yourself.

Got Five More Minutes?

If you enjoyed learning about the remarkable story of Brechin City and their famous hedge, you might enjoy our guides to other clubs and towns across Scotland and beyond. We have plenty more tales of triumph, disaster, and everything in between here at Five Minutes Spare. Follow us on social media for more stories that prove football really is much more serious than life and death – especially when there’s a hedge involved.