- Montrose F.C.
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Montrose 
Full name Montrose Football Club Nickname(s) The Gable Endies Founded 1879 Ground Links Park
Montrose
Angus, Scotland
(Capacity: 3,292 (1,338 seated)Chairman 
Derek SimManager Ray FarninghamLeague Scottish Third Division 2010-11 Scottish Third Division, 8th 
Home colours
Away colours
Current seasonMontrose Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team, based in the town of Montrose, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division.
Contents
History
Early Years
The club were founded in 1879 by Harvey Price and play at Links Park. They joined Scottish Football in 1923, along with near-neighbours Brechin City, in the newly founded Scottish Third Division, 1923–24 achieving a creditable fourth placed finish. However, the following season, Montrose finished at the bottom of the table, and despite signs of a recovery in 1925-26, lost their league place when the Third Division was scrapped owing to the financial difficulties experienced by many of the member clubs.1925–26 Montrose are one of only three sides from that Third Division, who are still competing today in the SFL. The club was readmitted to the Second Division in 1929-30. In the 1930s, the first few league seasons after readmission were difficult, with the club regularly finishing in the bottom four of the table. Perhaps the best result of that difficult decade came in the Scottish Cup in season 1938-39, when, in the first round, Montrose sensationally knocked out holders East Fife by a 9-1 scoreline at Bayview Park, Methil.
Post-war Period
In the immediate postwar period, Montrose spent time playing in the newly formed Division "C", consisting of provincial clubs and some first division reserve sides. With the re-formation of the Second Division in 1955-56, the club once again joined that league.
Halcyon Days
The club's halcyon period was the mid 1970s when, under player-manager Alex Stuart, Montrose reached third place in the old First Division (one below the Premier League), and were a feared and respected cup side. In the second round of 1974–75 Scottish Cup, Montrose recorded their largest victory when they beat Vale of Leithen 12–0. Although this was an "away" fixture, due to a fire at their oppositions ground, this tie was played at Links Park. Montrose won their first championship under the guidance of Iain Stewart in 1984–85, as they triumphed in the old second division. Relegation followed in 1987 as the part time club found themselves outgunned in a league largely consisting of full-time teams. Under co-managers Doug Rougvie and Chic McLelland, Montrose won promotion to Division One in 1991, but were relegated after one further season in the higher league.
The 1990s
Montrose have spent the vast majority of their recent history in the relative obscurity of the Third Division. At the end of the 1994–95 season, they were promoted to the Second Division after finishing as runners up to Forfar Athletic. However, the team's first attempt at this higher level was not successful, as they finished bottom of the table in 1995–96.
The 2000s
The club have remained at this level ever since, and have achieved little success in the league. Their most notable recent success was a surprising 5–1 win away at Second Division side Forfar Athletic in the First Round of the 2004–05 Scottish Cup.
Following a disappointing beginning to 2005–06 season, manager Henry Hall left the club by mutual consent, shortly followed by assistant Iain Gilzean. Former Montrose player Eddie Wolecki was appointed new manager of the team on the December 12, 2005. In July 2006 Aberdeen businessman Kenny Black invested money in the club and was offered a place on the board which he accepted. David Robertson (ex Aberdeen, Rangers and Leeds United player) became co-manager with Wolecki, but the latter parted company with the club in September 2006. Following a very poor run of results David Robertson left the club in ealry 2007, replaced in time by ex-St. Johnstone stalwart Jim Weir, assisted by experienced defender Kevin McGowne.
Links Park upgrade
Links Park underwent a transformation ahead of the 2007–08 campaign. A new artificial pitch was laid, so the game on the 21 April 2007 was the last game on grass for the foreseeable future. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main stand. New state of the art catering facilities and changing rooms were also installed. The fortunes of the club on the pitch also improved with several big name signings and a great start to the season propelled Montrose into the top 4 for the majority of the season. Montrose came in third in the league and were pitted against Stranraer in the playoffs. A 1-1 draw in the first leg at Links park, was followed by a second leg in which Montrose went down 3–0. They were thus confined to the 3rd division for yet another season.
Recent seasons
The 2008/09 pre-season was very quiet and few new signings were made; rumblings of discontent and rumours of behind the scenes fighting were proved to be true as boss Jim Weir was sacked by the Board after a 2–1 defeat to Cowdenbeath with six months still to run on his contract. Whilst in negotiation, u17's boss Steve Adam took the reins before ex-Dundee Utd and Celtic defender David Hannah became caretaker boss. Hannah left the club in mid-December after a toothless defeat to Cowdenbeath. During this game, fans made their feelings felt after Hannah threatened a fan and criticised the away support from the previous week after the dreadful 5-0 defeat away at East Stirlingshire. Director of Football Kenny Black took the reins over the Christmas period until Montrose appointed Steven Tweed as player manager. During January many of the players from Jim Weir's reign were shipped out and a number of new loanees appeared. Tweed's first few months were poor with the shot-shy Montrose forward barely hitting a goal in February. Things began to gel and Montrose won six out of their last nine games with a smaller, much younger squad who narrowly missed out on the playoffs. Steven Tweed signalled his intentions by throwing in many of the u-19s in the last few games of the season and shipping on most players who were based on the west-coast/central belt, in favour of a local recruitment policy. Montrose had a female player in her early 40s, Louise Duvall. She was given only one game.
The 2009/2010 season began terribly for the Montrose faithful, with the team failing to win any Division Three matches at all up to January 16. However, the club reached the Fifth Round of the Scottish Cup, where they were defeated by Hibernian at Easter Road Stadium. On the 10th of April, Brian Winton stepped down as chairman.
2011 saw Steven Tweed finally step down due to work commitments with the RBS. Ray Farningham & Stuart Garden were given the job of leading the team till the end of the season however the board moved quickly to secure the pair on 2 year contracts. In the final game of the season popular player Hugh Davidson chose to retire from the game.
Players
Current squad
- As of 17 August 2011
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player GK Michael Andrews GK Sandy Wood DF Dougie Cameron DF Alan Campbell DF Sean Crighton DF Jonathan Smart MF Jonathan Crawford MF David Dimilta MF Paul Lunan No. Position Player MF Terry Masson MF Stephen McNally MF Steven McPhee MF Jamie Winter FW Martin Boyle FW Scott Johnston FW David McGowan FW Sean Pierce Honours
- Scottish Football League Division Two:
- Winners: 1984–85
- Runners up: 1990-91
- Scottish Football League Third Division:
- Runners up: 1994-95
- Scottish Qualifying Cup:
- Winners: 1921
- Scottish Qualifying Cup Midlands:
- Winners: 1947
- Scottish Qualifying Cup South:
- Runners up: 1948
- Forfarshire Cup:
- Winners (10): 1891-92, 1921–22, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1951–52, 1961–62, 1972–73, 1991–92, 2001–02, 2007–08
- Runners up (9): 1902-03, 1903–04, 1907–08, 1912–13, 1929–30, 1935–36, 1954–55, 1986–87, 2002–03
- Forfarshire Charity Cup:
- Winners: 1892-93
- Runners up: 1888-89
Club records
Biggest win: 12–0 v Vale of Leithen in 4 January 1975 Scottish Cup.
Biggest league loss: 0–13 v Aberdeen in 17 March 1951
Biggest home attendance: 8,983 v Dundee, 17 March 1973 Scottish Cup.
External links
- Official websites
- News sites
Montrose Football Club Scottish Third Division 2011–12 Teams Alloa Athletic · Annan Athletic · Berwick Rangers · Clyde · East Stirlingshire · Elgin City · Montrose · Peterhead · Queen's Park · StranraerSeasons 1994–95 · 1995–96 · 1996–97 · 1997–98 · 1998–99 · 1999–00 · 2000–01 · 2001–02 · 2002–03 · 2003–04 · 2004–05 · 2005–06 · 2006–07 · 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12Football in Scotland Overview National association · League system · Clubs · Venues · History · Timeline · Seasons · Champions · First Division winners · Second Division winners · Junior football · Amateur football · Managers · Referees · Media · Hall of FameInternational League competitions Premier League · First Division · Second Division · Third Division · Highland League · East League · South League · SJFA West · SJFA East · SJFA North · Scottish Premier under-19 LeagueCup competitions Categories:- Montrose F.C.
- Scottish football clubs
- Association football clubs established in 1879
- Sport in Angus
- 1879 establishments in Scotland
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