# 2017–18 Scottish League One

The 2017–18 Scottish League One (known as Ladbrokes League One for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th season in the format of 10 teams in the third-tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 23 June 2017.
Ten teams contested the league: Airdrieonians, Albion Rovers, Alloa Athletic, Arbroath, Ayr United, East Fife, Forfar Athletic, Queen's Park, Raith Rovers and Stranraer.

## Prize money

In April 2018, the SPFL confirmed the prize money to be allocated to the league members at the conclusion of the competitions. The League One winners would receive £119,000 with a total pot of £24.5 million to be distributed across the four divisions.

## Teams

The following teams changed division prior to the 2016–17 season.

### Stadia and locations

| Airdrieonians | Albion Rovers | Alloa Athletic | Arbroath |
| Excelsior Stadium | Cliftonhill | Recreation Park | Gayfield Park |
| Capacity: 10,101 | Capacity: 1,238 | Capacity: 3,100 | Capacity: 6,600 |
| Ayr United | AirdrieoniansAlbion RoversAlloa AthleticArbroathAyr UnitedEast FifeForfar AthleticQueen's ParkRaith RoversStranraer | AirdrieoniansAlbion RoversAlloa AthleticArbroathAyr UnitedEast FifeForfar AthleticQueen's ParkRaith RoversStranraer | East Fife |
| Somerset Park | AirdrieoniansAlbion RoversAlloa AthleticArbroathAyr UnitedEast FifeForfar AthleticQueen's ParkRaith RoversStranraer | AirdrieoniansAlbion RoversAlloa AthleticArbroathAyr UnitedEast FifeForfar AthleticQueen's ParkRaith RoversStranraer | Bayview Stadium |
| Capacity: 10,185 | AirdrieoniansAlbion RoversAlloa AthleticArbroathAyr UnitedEast FifeForfar AthleticQueen's ParkRaith RoversStranraer | AirdrieoniansAlbion RoversAlloa AthleticArbroathAyr UnitedEast FifeForfar AthleticQueen's ParkRaith RoversStranraer | Capacity: 1,980 |
| Forfar Athletic | Queen's Park | Raith Rovers | Stranraer |
| Station Park | Hampden Park | Stark's Park | Stair Park |
| Capacity: 6,777 | Capacity: 51,866 | Capacity: 8,867 | Capacity: 4,178 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Airdrieonians | Stevie Findlay | Marc Fitzpatrick | Under Armour | Holemasters |
| Albion Rovers | Brian Kerr | Gary Fisher | Adidas | Reigart Demolition |
| Alloa Athletic | Jim Goodwin | Andy Graham | Pendle | The Energy Check |
| Arbroath | Dick Campbell | Mark Whatley | Pendle | Megatech |
| Ayr United | Ian McCall | Ross Docherty | Adidas | Bodog |
| East Fife | Darren Young | Kevin Smith | Joma | W Glendinning Haulage Contractors (Home) EF Joinery (Away) |
| Forfar Athletic | Jim Weir | Michael Travis | Pendle | Orchard Timber Products |
| Queen's Park | Gus MacPherson | Sean Burns | Under Armour | Irn-Bru |
| Raith Rovers | Barry Smith | Kyle Benedictus | Puma | valmcdermid.com (Home) Tag Games (Away) |
| Stranraer | Stephen Farrell | Scott Robertson | Stanno | Stena Line |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Albion Rovers | Darren Young | Contract expired | 6 May 2017 | Pre-season | Brian Kerr | 8 May 2017 |
| Raith Rovers | John Hughes | Resigned | 13 May 2017 | Pre-season | Barry Smith | 29 May 2017 |
| East Fife | Barry Smith | Signed by Raith Rovers | 29 May 2017 | Pre-season | Darren Young | 3 June 2017 |
| Airdrieonians | Mark Wilson | Resigned | 17 June 2017 | Pre-season | Willie Aitchison | 4 August 2017 |
| Airdrieonians | Willie Aitchison | Sacked | 19 August 2017 | 5th | Stevie Findlay | 29 September 2017 |
| Forfar Athletic | Gary Bollan | Sacked | 18 September 2017 | 10th | Stuart Balmer Barry Sellars (joint-interims) | 18 September 2017 |
| Forfar Athletic | Stuart Balmer Barry Sellars (joint-interims) | Interim ended | 1 October 2017 | 10th | Jim Weir | 1 October 2017 |

## League Summary
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Ayr United (C, P) | 36 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 92 | 42 | +50 | 76 | Promotion to the Championship |
| 2 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 68 | 32 | +36 | 75 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 3 | Alloa Athletic (O, P) | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 60 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Arbroath | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 59 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Stranraer | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 58 | 66 | −8 | 53 | |
| 6 | East Fife | 36 | 13 | 3 | 20 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 42 | |
| 7 | Airdrieonians | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 60 | −14 | 41 | |
| 8 | Forfar Athletic | 36 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 40 | 65 | −25 | 38 | |
| 9 | Queen's Park (R) | 36 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 42 | 72 | −30 | 31 | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 10 | Albion Rovers (R) | 36 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 57 | 80 | −23 | 30 | Relegation to League Two |

### Positions by Round

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological progress, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for matchday 13, but then postponed and played between days 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for day 16.
* Leader - Promotion to 2018–19 Scottish Championship
* Qualification to Championship play-offs
* Qualification to League One play-offs
* Relegation to 2018–19 Scottish League Two
| Team \ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Ayr United | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Raith Rovers | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Alloa Athletic | 5 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Arbroath | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Stranraer | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| East Fife | 8 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Airdrieonians | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Forfar Athletic | 3 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Queen's Park | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Albion Rovers | 10 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
Source: Updated: 28 April 2018

## Results

Teams play each other four times, twice in the first half of the season (home and away) and twice in the second half of the season (home and away), making a total of 36 games.

## Season statistics
### Scoring
#### Top scorers

    As of matches played on 28 April 2018
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Lawrence Shankland | Ayr United | 26 |
| 2 | Alan Trouten | Albion Rovers | 20 |
| 3 | Craig Moore | Ayr United | 19 |
| 4 | Ryan Wallace | Stranraer/Arbroath | 16 |
| 5 | Lewis Vaughan | Raith Rovers | 15 |
| 6 | Chris Duggan | East Fife | 14 |
| 7 | Michael Moffat | Ayr United | 11 |
| 7 | Greig Spence | Raith Rovers | 11 |
| 9 | Danny Denholm | Arbroath | 10 |
| 9 | Liam Buchanan | Raith Rovers | 10 |
| 9 | Scott Agnew | Stranraer | 10 |
Source:

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Craig Moore | Ayr United | Albion Rovers | 5–1 | 6 August 2017 |
| Ryan McCord | Arbroath | Stranraer | 6–2 | 23 September 2017 |
| Michael Moffat | Ayr United | Forfar Athletic | 5–0 | 21 October 2017 |
| Ross C. Stewart | Alloa Athletic | Arbroath | 5–3 | 6 March 2018 |
| Lawrence Shankland | Ayr United | Queen's Park | 4–0 | 24 March 2018 |

### Attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Raith Rovers | 33,954 | 4,496 | 1,260 | 1,886 | −28.3%$^†$ |
| 2 | Ayr United | 28,596 | 2,441 | 1,139 | 1,588 | −14.9%$^†$ |
| 3 | Arbroath | 13,904 | 1,110 | 600 | 772 | +6.3%$^†$ |
| 4 | Airdrieonians | 13,832 | 1,129 | 450 | 768 | −7.5%$^†$ |
| 5 | Queen's Park | 12,376 | 1,233 | 428 | 687 | +6.7%$^†$ |
| 6 | East Fife | 12,301 | 1,850 | 390 | 683 | +9.1%$^†$ |
| 7 | Alloa Athletic | 11,663 | 1,749 | 363 | 647 | +21.8%$^†$ |
| 8 | Forfar Athletic | 11,133 | 990 | 428 | 618 | −3.1%$^†$ |
| 9 | Albion Rovers | 8,219 | 1,032 | 167 | 456 | +1.6%$^†$ |
| 10 | Stranraer | 7,967 | 1,143 | 201 | 442 | +8.1%$^†$ |
| | League total | 149,668 | 4,496 | 167 | 831 | +47.1%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 28 April 2018 Source:

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Manager of the Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref. |
| Month | Manager | Club | Player | Club | Ref. |
| August | Barry Smith | Raith Rovers | Lewis Vaughan | Raith Rovers | |
| September | Brian Kerr | Albion Rovers | Ryan McCord | Arbroath | |
| October | Ian McCall | Ayr United | Michael Moffat | Ayr United | |
| November | Ian McCall | Ayr United | Lawrence Shankland | Ayr United | |
| December | Barry Smith | Raith Rovers | Alan Trouten | Albion Rovers | |
| January | Dick Campbell | Arbroath | Angus Beith | Stranraer | |
| February | Dick Campbell | Arbroath | Willis Furtado | Raith Rovers | |
| March | Ian McCall | Ayr United | Lawrence Shankland | Ayr United | |

## League One play-offs

The second bottom team entered into a 4-team playoff with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th placed teams in League Two.