Early years The club was founded in 1906 by players and officials from two comparatively successful local junior sides –
Brechin Harp and
Brechin Hearts. A deputation from the Forfarshire Football Association had met with representatives of the local game at the Temperance Hall in City Road and managed to persuade them that Brechin would benefit from having a single senior club. Although Brechin Harp folded with the establishment of the senior side, Brechin Hearts continued as a viable and successful Junior side until the years of the Great War. The club won its first important local honour, the
Forfarshire Cup, in the
1909–10 season with a side that featured nine players from the town. The club moved to their Glebe Park home in 1919, a stadium which currently has a capacity of 4,123 (1,519 seated) and is famous for the
hedge that runs alongside one side of the pitch.
Joining the league The team was admitted to the Scottish league in
1923 with the formation of the
original Third Division. However, City struggled, finishing bottom of the League in that first season. The club failed to make any headway in the doomed division and disappeared from the Scottish League at the end of the
1925–26 season along with most of the other teams in the division. The club was not away long, as it returned to the League for the
1929–30 season following the departure of
Bathgate and
Arthurlie the previous season. Once again the club finished rock bottom. The club continued to struggle in the bottom half of the Second Division throughout the 1930s before going into hibernation during the
Second World War. Indeed, so poor was the club at times that during the
1937–38 season the club were beaten 10–0 by
Cowdenbeath,
Albion Rovers and
Airdrieonians.
Post-war return Brechin City returned to action in the
1946–47 season in the C Division, a competition which did not have full membership of the Scottish Football League and which contained a mix of first teams and reserve sides. The club remained in this set-up until its success in the North-East section (the division having been restructured into two separate competitions) in the
1953–54 season saw it return to full League membership. Their first season back however resulted in another bottom placed finish, although it was not relegated. Despite this shaky return the club enjoyed a halcyon period of sorts in the late 1950s, securing four consecutive top half finishes (without managing to clinch promotion) as well as reaching the semi-finals of the
1957–58 Scottish League Cup. The 1960s, however, saw the club struggling again, with yet another bottom place its fate for the
1961–62 season and again the
following season with a further two wooden spoon efforts before the end of the decade. The unwanted feat of finishing bottom two years in a row was repeated in
1972–73 and
1973–74 as Brechin City continued to be one of the weakest sides in Scottish League football.
New Second Division The club finished 17th out of 20 in the
1974–75 season and as such was placed in the new Division Two, which was the third tier of the restructured League. The new set-up suited the club little better as they remained in and around the bottom. However a mid-table
1979–80 season ushered in something of a change in fortune as the club began to challenge for its first promotion as full League members. With both a new stand and
floodlighting added to Glebe Park, the club played with a new ambition until finally breaking its duck with a title win in the
1982–83 season. Under the chairmanship of David Will, the then
Scottish Football Association vice-president and a future vice-president of
FIFA, and the player-management of ex-
Dundee stalwart
Ian Fleming, the club pipped
Meadowbank Thistle to the title by one point.
The 1980s Under Will's progressive leadership City found its feet in the First Division and challenged near the top in the
1983–84 season before finishing in a creditable fifth place. although undaunted it challenged at the top of the Second Division before winning the title for the second time in
1989–90 season again by one point, this time ahead of
Kilmarnock.
The 1990s Brechin's return to the First Division was to prove somewhat inauspicious as it was immediately relegated, although
1992–93 season saw it promoted again, this time as runners-up. Again, however, it was relegated immediately and worse was to follow as it suffered consecutive demotions, dropping into the newly created Third Division, the fourth tier of League football. However once again there was an immediate change as the club finished second in this division for the
1995–96 season, ensuring promotion and five changes of division in five frantic seasons. The club was relegated again after two seasons and finished the decade back in the bottom division.
The 2000s In the new millennium the club experienced a revival in fortune under
Dick Campbell, winning the Third Division in
2001–02 season after a narrow miss the previous season. The push continued
the following season as the club finished runners-up to secure a second consecutive promotion with
Chris Templeman bagging 21 League goals for the club in a season in which it was also beaten
Scottish Challenge Cup finalists. However the
First Division proved too much for the part-timers as they were immediately relegated. However the topsy-turvy existence of Brechin City continued as the following season it again won the
Second Division title, although success was soured by the departure of Campbell to
Partick Thistle. Without Campbell the team struggled even more than before in the
First Division and managed only two wins all season on its way to relegation under
Ian Campbell, the twin brother of their previous manager. The mood was lifted somewhat by the club's centenary celebrations which included a 2–2 draw in a prestige friendly against
English Championship side
Ipswich Town at Glebe Park. The club, led by the management of
Michael O'Neill and with the goal threat of
Iain Russell, finished fourth in the
following season's Second Division and under new arrangements this entitled it to a place in promotion play-offs, although a 6–1 aggregate mauling at the hands of
Airdrie United put paid to any hopes of another immediate return to the second tier.
2007–08 proved somewhat disappointing as City missed out on the play-offs by finishing sixth, and on 31 January 2008, was thrown out of the Scottish Cup after fielding two ineligible players in its 2–1 fourth round replay win over
Hamilton Academical. Hamilton Academical took their place in the fifth round.
2008–09 proved a season of upheaval as O'Neill left on 15 December 2008 to take charge of Republic of Ireland side
Shamrock Rovers, although the experienced
Jim Duffy followed him into the hotseat on 9 January 2009 and led the club to third place and a play-off place. Once again however the play-offs did not prove rewarding as
Ayr United recorded a 5–2 aggregate win over the club to leave Brechin City in the Second Division for
2009–10. Under Duffy, Brechin made the play-offs again the
following season but Duffy resigned after Brechin were beaten 3–0 on aggregate by
Cowdenbeath.
The 2010s For the
2010–11 season the club appointed
Jim Weir as manager, departing
Arbroath at short notice after leading them to relegation. That season, Brechin reached the quarter-finals of the
Scottish Cup, drawing 2–2 with
SPL side
St Johnstone at
Glebe Park, resulting in a replay which City eventually lost 1–0 after a valiant effort. On 14 May 2011, Brechin beat Cowdenbeath 4–2 on aggregate, in the 1st Division play-offs semi-final, to set up a final with Ayr United, in which the victors secured First Division football for season 2011–12. In the first leg at Somerset Park the match ended 1–1 however Ayr won the second leg at Glebe Park 2–1 meaning that Brechin stayed in the Second Division. The club appointed
Forfar Athletic defender Darren Dods as
player/manager in June 2015. Dods' first season with the club saw Brechin remain rooted to the bottom of
League One for the majority of the
2015–16 season, winning just four of their first twenty-six matches. However, a late burst of form saw the club win eight of the final ten games, pushing the side clear of the relegation and play-off positions to finish the season in seventh. Dods' second season was in stark contrast to the first, with Brechin remaining in the top four for most of the
season 2016–17. Finishing the season in fourth, the club then went on to win promotion to the
Scottish Championship for the first time in 11 years, defeating
Raith Rovers and
Alloa Athletic in the
Championship play-offs.
Back to back relegations Brechin's return to the second tier proved short lived; having not won a league match and with four points, the club were relegated on 24 March 2018 following a 2–0 loss to
Greenock Morton. Brechin ended their Championship campaign with a 1–5 loss to Queen of the South at Glebe Park. This meant the club became the first senior Scottish side in 126 years to fail to win a single game in a league season. Brechin ended the 2017–18 season with no wins, four draws, 32 defeats and no away points at all. Brechin went into the
2018–2019 season as favourites for promotion; however they ended up in yet another relegation battle which resulted in the club finishing bottom of League One and back to back relegations. The
2019–20 season again turned into a battle to stay off the foot of the table and dodge a play-off that could result in relegation to the
Highland League. The club were at the bottom of League Two when the league was suspended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, and avoided the play-offs due to the league eventually being curtailed.
Out of the SPFL vs Brechin City F.C. in title deciding match at
Victoria Park, Buckie 22nd April 2023 On 23 May 2021, Brechin lost 3–1 on aggregate to Lowland League side
Kelty Hearts in the relegation playoffs, dropping down to the Highland League, the club's first spell out of the national leagues in 67 years. In June 2021, after the departure of player/manager
Michael Paton, the club appointed
Andy Kirk to the role of club manager. In the club's first season in the Highland League, they secured a respectable third-place finish. The following season, they won the title after beating closest challengers,
Buckie Thistle, 0–2 on the final day of the campaign. On 6 May 2023, Brechin were defeated 3–4 on penalties by
Lowland League outfit
The Spartans in the pyramid play-offs. They headed into the 2nd leg with a 1–0 deficit to turn around, despite winning the game 3–2 and making it 3–3 on aggregate; they fell short in the penalty shootout. The 2023-24 Season saw Brechin and Buckie Thistle the front runners for the title. The season came down to the final day for the 2nd year in a row. At the end of the campaign, Brechin were beaten to the title by rivals Buckie Thistle on goal difference, after both teams claimed 81 points for the season. Buckie Thistle were due to compete in the pyramid play-offs but were ineligible due to licensing issues. == Rivalries ==