Edinburgh City beat Brora Rangers 2-0 at Meadowbank on Saturday to secure their place in the Scottish Professional Football League, coming through a play-off that had loomed over their season since a 15-point deduction was imposed for what the SPFL deemed an insolvency event. Divine Iserhienrhien opened the scoring for City, whose survival ended a campaign that manager Michael McIndoe described as running from one extreme to the other.
"We were favourites to win the title on matchday one and favourites to go down on matchday two," McIndoe said afterwards, with celebrations already under way in the dressing room behind him. "We were behind the eight ball then," he added, referring to the points deduction that turned City from title contenders into relegation candidates before a ball was kicked in League Two.
The result means Edinburgh City avoid becoming a side relegated from the SPFL, something no club has managed to return from. City will not have it easy next season either: they will start with a further five-point deduction already in place.
A club with the smallest budget
McIndoe pointed to the scale of the achievement given the club's resources. "Our average crowd is 278," he said, though more than 700 fans attended Saturday's match. "We have the lowest budget in the league, we have the youngest team in the league." Most importantly, he added, City remain in the league.
Brora Rangers pushed City hard after threatening to be overrun early on, fighting back into the match with grit, power and skill. Ally Moncrieff, 40, a City fan for 10 years who had travelled to Brora for the first leg, summed up the mood beforehand. "Football is all about being miserable. It was designed for people to be miserable," he said. "But I am hopeful for today."
McIndoe's rebuilding job
McIndoe credited the mix of experienced signings and academy graduates who carried City through the crisis. "We have had two sides this season," he said, referring to players brought in during the transfer window alongside the young players already at the club. "The work starts now for next season," he said. "I have already spoken to three or four players on pre-contract."
Backdrop of Hearts and Hibernian results
Saturday's match played out against a tense backdrop in the capital. Hibernian had just lost to Motherwell, and fans leaving Easter Road passed others watching the Celtic v Hearts match unfold on their phones. Outside Meadowbank, supporters heading into the ground had to navigate contestants from what appeared to be a dancing or cheerleading competition taking place at the sports centre.
One man, who declined to give his name, described the split loyalties adding to his nerves. "That's all I need," he said. "My nerves are shot. I am a City fan. Obviously, but I am also a Hearts supporter." Pointing to an ear bud, he said he was listening to the Celtic match while dreading the one in front of him. Asked for his name, he said: "I can hardly draw a breath, never mind give my name."
Groundhoppers and travelling supporters
The match also drew visitors from further afield. Murray Papworth, a Cambridge United season ticket holder who had just completed the Borders Abbey Way walking route, decided to add the game to his trip. "I am a Cambridge United season ticket holder," he said. "So I love football and have visited a lot of grounds in Scotland. I have been to Rothes, Forres and others in the Highland League. This seemed an occasion too good to miss."
Ian Christie, 88, travelled from the north to watch Brora Rangers, the club he once played for. He said he had been nicknamed "Tully," after Celtic's Charlie Tully, for his own skills on the ball. Christie also dismissed suggestions that Brora do not want promotion to the SPFL. "I can dismiss that 100 per cent. It is a nonsense," he said. Other Brora supporters noted that promotion would have brought the club at least £125,000 in prize money across various competitions.
Behind the scenes with the chairman
Two hours before kick-off, Edinburgh City chairman John Dickson was tying barriers together to form a pen for home supporters behind one of the goals, having already put up sponsor boards that morning before heading off to greet hospitality guests. He said he first got involved with the club as a fan. "I was basically a fan," he said. "I was invited along by a previous sponsor. I started volunteering and became first sponsor of the women's team. The previous owner said he couldn't take the club any further. So here we are."
Dickson took over more than two years ago and admitted the recent period had been difficult. "It has been a rough time lately," he said. Asked why he continues, he said: "Because I am nuts." His tone shifted when discussing the match itself. "It is paramount that we win," he said, before responding to a question about what failure would mean with a long, silent breath.
Dickson said the club had clawed back the 15-point deduction earlier in the season despite further ups and downs since. He pointed to almost 200 children playing for the club's teams as a sign of its foundations. "There is a future for this club," he said. "We will rebuild in the summer. We would want to push for promotion."
