Cove Rangers:  The sides last met in the SPFL 2 Play-Off semi-final in 2018 when the respective Lowland and Highland League winners locked horns for a chance to take on Cowdenbeath.  A trip to Inverurie in the first leg saw the hosts prevail 4-0 whilst in the return, Spartans were to be victorious courtesy of goals from Blair Atkinson and Jamie Dishington.  The Blue Brazil however edging the Final 3-2 after a 0-0 first leg draw in the Highlands.

The following season, Cove became the first Highland League side to gain promotion to the SPFL.  Defeating East Kilbride over two legs in the semis, it was an emphatic 7-0 aggregate win against Berwick Rangers that saw the clubs trade places.

Cove finished mid-table in League 1 last season.

Dunfermline Athletic:

Competitive games between the sides have been limited to a 2014 Ronnie Swan Trophy Final at Ainslie Park.  Donal Henretty scoring for Spartans before Ross Drummond netted for the Pars to set up a dramatic penalty shoot-out which was won by the Fifers.

More recently, the teams met in June 2021 for a pre-season friendly in what was Peter Grant’s first outing in charge of the East End Park side.  Sam Jones bagged a brace of goals in the North Edinburgh sunshine to secure a respectable draw.  It was a season that saw the Fifers lose out in the Play-offs and were relegated to League 1 however there was an immediate bounceback just twelve months later.

Dunfermline finished in 6^th place in last season’s Championship. 

Livingston FC

It’s been so long since the sides last met, Danny Denholm was still in his short trousers at Broughton High the last time Spartans played Livingston.

The Scottish Cup run of 2004 saw East of Scotland outfit Spartans defeat Buckie, Alloa and Arbroath to set up a Sunday 4^th Round February showdown against Scottish Premier League side Livingston.

A capacity crowd of 3123 filled ‘Estadio City Park’ (Telegraph) / ‘ramshackle City Park’ (Daily Record) for the most romantic of David v Goliath ties.  Unfortunately a second half Derek Lilley hat-trick helped guide Spartans’ lofty opponents to victory.  The Lions were to reach the Semi Final before succumbing to Celtic who went on to lift the trophy against fellow Group E opponents Dunfermline.

The sides also met in foul conditions in July 2010 in a pre-season friendly.  Jack Beesley – now the Head Coach at Spartans Women, made his debut for the Club against previous season’s League 3 champions Livingston who showcased their summer signings.

Forfar Athletic

Prior to last season’s quartet of fixture in SPFL 2, there had been three Scottish Cup meetings between the teams spanning over some thirty years.

The first outing was in December 1979 at City Park in front of a modest audience of some 300 hardy souls. It was the first time The Spartans had played at home in the Scottish Cup and a souvenir match programme to match the occasion was produced – an eight pager for all of 15p! 

John Clark had put the Loons ahead before Alan Kirkwood levelled proceedings for the plucky East of Scotland side.  Any hope of progression however was dampened when Ian McPhee was upended in the box and Alex Rae netted the 77th spot kick.

The next meeting in 1983/84 was a little more clear cut whilst there was only a solitary strike between the teams in the 3^rd Round of the 2009/10 tournament.

Last season saw Blair Henderson score in three of the four SPFL 2 encounters, two of which as winning strikes.

The Spartans can confirm the following player movements following the conclusion of the 2023-24 Season:

Locked in for Season 2024/25:

• Blair Carswell – Academy Graduate
• Adam Meek – Academy Graduate
• Keiran Watson
• Ayrton Sonkur
• Josh Laing – Academy Graduate
• Chris Inglis – Academy Graduate
• Kevin Waugh  
• Paul Watson
• Danny Denholm
• Callum Booth
• Jamie Dishington – Academy Graduate
• Hamish Ritchie
• James Craigen
• Bradley Whyte
• Cammy Russell
• Blair Henderson
• Lewis Hunter
• Mackie Scott – Academy Graduate
• Ben Lamont – Academy Graduate
• Sam Coats – Academy Graduate
• Given Ndlovu – Academy Graduate

Players who will be moving on with our best wishes: 

• Sean Brown – Signed for Linlithgow Rose.  During his spells at Spartans, Sean found the net 19 times in 79 appearances.
• Sam Newman – Signed for Cowdenbeath.  ‘Shaggy’ made 51 appearances and netted 5 times during his time at Ainslie Park.
• Sam Jones – Signed for Edinburgh City.  Sam played 131 games and contributed 8 goals to our historic SPFL promotion cause.
• Gavin Morrison – Signed for Inverness Clachnacuddin.  31 appearances with Spartans, sadly injury robbed the no-nonsense midfielder a chance of a shot at the play-offs.
• Rhys Armstrong – Signed for Airdrie.  Playmaker ‘Rico’ makes the step up to full-time football after 89 outings and 16 goals.  Whilst we are sad to see him move on, we are equally delighted for him on a personal level.
• Harvey Swann – Unfortunately Harvey lost a full season due to injury and unable to add to his 21 appearances made for the Club.

Retiring:

• Alan Brown – ‘Hovie’ started his journey with Spartans during our East of Scotland era after his move from Whitehill Welfare.  Hovie was the first player to win the Lowland League 3 times with the same Club.  Made his SPFL debut aged 37 and notched up his 300^th appearance in our Scottish Cup tie against Hearts last season.
• Jordan Tapping – A favourite with the Spartan Army faithful, Tappy has made the move to Australia and has sadly had to retire from football due to the knee injury he sustained last season.  A talisman at the heart of the Spartans defence, Jordan made 58 appearances and grabbed 2 goals and leaves with our very best of wishes on his next adventure Down Under.

Returning to Loan Clubs:

• Mason McCready – Four games during his spell on loan from Partick Thistle, two of those from the bench. 
• Robbie Thomson – Pacey youth who had 10 appearances, two of which were starting berths.  Robbie scored our final goal of our inaugural SPFL 2 campaign, netting a late winner at East Fife.

Marc McNulty – Sparky is currently weighing up whether or not to return to full time football.  In the meantime, he will continue to train with us until such time as he has made a decision around the next stage of his career.

The Spartans will kick-off their William Hill SPFL 2 campaign on the road against Stranraer on Saturday 3^rd August. 

This morning’s fixture release then sees Douglas Samuel’s side welcome Bonnyrigg Rose to Ainslie Park in a jam packed five match opening month that also sees an away trips to Elgin City and Stirling Albion whilst Peterhead make the journey to North Edinburgh for our first clash of the campaign.

The 10 teams will play each other four times across a regular season that concludes ten months later at home against Edinburgh City.

The festive period will see an Edinburgh Derby Christmas cracker at home against City on the 28^th December and the New Year will see The Spartans first footing Elgin City in the opening game of 2025 on the 4th January.

A full list of the 2024-25 William Hill SPFL 2 season fixtures can be found here.

Season Tickets for the forthcoming William Hill SPFL 2 campaign, which will see 18 home league matches spread over ten months, are now on sale via the Club Shop.  Your Season Ticket also offers entry to all our Women’s SWPL 1 league matches at Ainslie Park.

Stay tuned for announcements on Match Day Hospitality for home fixtures throughout the season and of course, there are still opportunities for Match Day and Match Ball sponsorship offerings available too.

Love your football more locally at The Spartans.

The Spartans are delighted to announce the signing of Lewis Hunter from Annan Athletic.

27 year old Hunter will join his new team-mates as pre-season gets underway ahead of another exciting season for Douglas Samuel’s men in the William Hill SPFL 2.

The central midfielder has made over 100 appearances during his spells at Galabank during a career that kicked-off whilst on a football scholarship at Stirling University where Hunter captained the Men’s 1st team.

East Fife were quick to chap on the door and land Hunter his first SPFL gig in the 2019/20 season, where he also made a solitary appearance at Albion Rovers whilst on loan.

Lewis then moved to Annan Athletic in October 2022 making over 50 appearances before an opportunity to head to New Zealand saw him ply his trade for Bay Olympic in Auckland.

He returned ahead of last season where he made 24 appearances and scored twice, including a cracker against Montrose who we face during pre-season.

On arriving at Ainslie Park ahead of the pre-season training, Hunter said, “Firstly would just like to thank Annan Athletic for the last 4 seasons and wish everyone at the club all the best. Now looking forward to the new season ahead after speaking with the manager, I am delighted to sign with the club. The club have a lot of ambition and a great set up for the players and hopefully I can contribute to helping the team go that extra further this season and improve as a player.”

Manager Douglas Samuel added, “I’m delighted to bring Lewis on board. He’s got great league experience and is entering his peak years. He will compliment our other central midfield options and can also step into our back 4 as and when required.”

Season tickets are now on sale for the 2024/25 William Hill SPFL 2 season.

Last season saw record-breaking season ticket sales and the support in the stands has been pivotal to the ongoing success of the club over the years.

Following last year’s historic debut in the SPFL, Douglas Samuel leads his side into a season that will include a return of the Edinburgh derby and the first competitive match against Stirling Albion since January 2001.

Your season ticket covers all 18 Men’s SPFL 2 and 16 Women’s SWPL 1 fixtures and will also include the forthcoming pre-season friendlies against Livingston and Montrose, however it excludes Premier Sports Cup, SPFL Trust and Scottish Cup matches.

Your Season Ticket remains the best value option when it comes to watching games at Ainslie Park. 

Prices:

• Adult £220 (an £86 saving on walk-up prices)
• Concession (O65, 17 – 18) £150
• Youth (12-16) £70
• Under 12 Free

Discounted Season Tickets are available for Youth Section Coaches and Players:

• Adult £170
• Concession (O65, 17-18) £100
• Youth (12-16) free
• Under 12 free

There is an option to pay for your ticket over two instalments if you buy via the online club shop.

The tickets can be bought from our online club shop or on matchday, starting with our pre-season games.  If bought online the buyer will get an email when the tickets are ready for collection from the Spartans Foundation office.

For the first time, Season Ticket holders are invited to reserve their own seat!  For those wishing to take up this offer, email Gordon Hulse at gordonhulse@hotmail.co.uk after you have placed your order or alternatively following collection of your Season Ticket.  Subject to availability, your chosen seat will be marked with your season ticket holder reserved sticker.

For the casual supporter, footballing tourist and away fans, Match Day walk-up prices will be as follows:

• Adult £17
• Concession £12
• Youth £5
• Under 12 free

Be part of our journey and love your football more locally.

The Spartans Football Club are delighted to unveil their new eco-kit by leading Italian sportswear manufacturer Macron for the 2024/25 season.

Each shirt is made with 13 half litre recycled bottles and are packed in recycled polybags which are made from 100% recycled low-density polyethylene.

The environmentally responsible kit will be worn by over 500 players from our Youth Boys and Girls, Senior Men and Women and our Pan-Disability Connections section.

100% of Macron’s Eco-Fabric are made with a thread which is 100% PET recycled polyester and is certified by Global Recycle Standard.

Read more about Macron 4 The Planet initiative which comprises a series of initiatives they are undertaking to promote greater environmental sustainability https://www.macron.com/uk/macron-4-the-planet

You can order the club’s all-new 2024/25 Macron Sports kit – via our online shop

Our thanks also to Colin Campbell Sports for their support and assistance throughout this journey.