Annan Athletic F.C.

Did You Know?

• The club won every competition they entered bar one in their first season in the Carlisle and District League (1952–53).
• On 9 March 2013, Annan beat Rangers 2–1 at Ibrox, the first win after Jim Chapman's appointment as manager in January.
• Annan defeated Clyde 2–1 on 19 May 2023 to earn a 5–2 aggregate play-off victory and seal promotion to Scottish League One, the club's first promotion to the third tier.

History

The club was founded in December 1942 as Annan Air Training Corps and changed its name to Annan Athletic the following April. It initially played in the Dumfries and District Youth League, which lasted only through the war years, then joined the Dumfries and District Junior League in 1945. As a junior club, it reached the fifth round of the Scottish Junior Cup once, losing 2–1 to Jeanfield Swifts. The Dumfries and District Junior League folded after the 1950–51 season due to a lack of officials, and the club went into abeyance for the 1951–52 season because the Junior Association would not release it from membership.

The club remained in the Carlisle and District League until 1977–78, when it moved to the South of Scotland Football League. This switch, along with upgrades to Galabank, allowed the club to enter the qualifying stages of the Scottish Cup. Annan won every competition available in the South League and joined the East of Scotland Football League in 1987–88, while maintaining a reserve side in the South League. It won promotion in its first East League season and won the Premier Division two years later.

The club applied to join the Scottish Football League in 2000 but lost out to Peterhead and Elgin City. After the demise of Gretna in 2008, Annan applied alongside four other clubs and was chosen to replace them in the Third Division, based on its facilities. Its first league match as a professional team was a 4–1 win over Cowdenbeath in the 2008–09 season, finishing 7th that season and 8th the next, while reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Challenge Cup.

Rivalries

Annan Athletic's local derby rivals are Queen of the South, a familiar battle with many players having played for both clubs and some people supporting both teams. The rivalry with Stranraer is less local but has become increasingly competitive, with many red cards in recent matches as the sides frequently meet in Scotland's fourth tier; the grounds are 88 miles apart. Games against Clyde have become a day to look forward to for Annan fans, a rivalry intensified when Annan manager Jim Chapman left to take charge of Clyde and a large portion of players followed him. Berwick Rangers are a cross-border rival. Gretna 2008 are a friendly opponent, with Annan frequently invited to the Raydale Park Cup competition and Annan having welcomed the phoenix club to Galabank when its pitch was being resurfaced.