Stenhousemuir Football Club is a Scottish football team, based in the small town of Stenhousemuir near Falkirk. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division.
History
Founded in 1884, they play at Ochilview Park (capacity 3776 of which 626 seated). Their nickname is “The Warriors”, and the team’s mascot is “Wullie the Warrior”, a viking-like figure with round shield and horned helmet. Through much of its history the team has languished in the relative obscurity of the lower leagues of Scottish football, spending the 2005/06 season in the Third Division.
The name “Sten-House-Muir” means roughly “Stone House on the Moor” in scots, but “Stone House Wall” in Norwegian – and the club enjoys an unlikely support in Norway, where the Oslo-based supporter’s club sponsors one of the stands at Ochilview Park.
Image:Norwaystand.JPG
While Stenhousemuir have remained in the lower divisions for the last few years, the invigorating encouragement offered by such supporters groups as the “Kris Akabusi Loyal” may spur the Warriors onto greater things.
Honours
Scottish Third Division – Runners-up 1998/99
Scottish League Challenge Cup Winners – 1995, (Beat Dundee United at McDiarmid Park, Perth on 5th November 1995, 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes of normal play and extra time).
Club Records
Biggest league win: 9-2 .v. Dundee United F.C. on 16th April 1937 (Scottish League – Division Two)
Biggest league loss: 2-11 .v. Dunfermline Athletic F.C. on 27th September 1930 (Scottish League – Division Two)
Biggest home attendance: 12,500 .v. East Fife F.C., on 11th March 1950 (Scottish Cup Quarter-Final)
History
Stenhousemuir Football Club, a team with a longer history than Scottish European trophy winners like Celtic and Aberdeen, are, in relative terms, one of the most progressive clubs in Scotland. Formed in 1884, the most successful periods, on the park, came around the turn of the twentieth century, and the last ten years. For much of the club’s lifetime, survival has been the name of the game, but the club has been involved in many footballing milestones.
1884: Peter Hutton took a hand in the formation of Stenhousemuir FC, becoming the President over the first 20 years.
1890: Warriors move to Ochilview Park.
1900-01: Winners, Scottish Qualifying Cup.
1901-02: Winners of four trophies.
1902-03: Reached Scottish Cup semi-final, losing 1-4 at home to Rangers FC.
1921-22: First season in senior Scottish League football.
1925-26: Goalkeeper Joe Shortt offered £50 bribe to throw a match vs. Broxburn. Stenhousemuir win 6-2. A Bainsford bookie was subsequently jailed for attempted match fixing.
1926-27: Greyhound racing introduced, in a revenue raising attempt.
1927-28: Old grandstand burns down.
1928-29: New grandstand opened (not demolished until 1999), although the staircases had to be added later!
1936-37: Drew 1-1 with Celtic in the Scottish Cup, and recorded club record victory (9-2 win against Dundee United).
1949-50: Record crowd of 12,500 at Ochilview, for a Scottish Cup tie against East Fife (Lost 0-3).
1951-52: The first ever floodlit game between two Scottish senior teams was in November 1951 at Ochilview, versus Hibernian.
1955-56: Stanley Matthews plays for the Warriors against Falkirk, in a special fund raiser. Also, the Warriors take part in the first ever floodlit Scottish Cup tie, at Bayview, against East Fife.
1958-59: Third in the league, just missing out on promotion by five points.
1960-61: Third in the league, this time missing out on promotion by four points (rumour had it that rivals Stirling Albion hosed down their pitch in a vital end of the season match at Annfield, to slow down the small Warriors forwards).
1964: Summer……Rangers FC reveal a plan to remove the Warriors from the league, along with four other clubs.
1968: Stenhousemuir FC (along with Albion Rovers, Berwick Rangers, Brechin City and Stranraer) win perhaps their greatest ever victory, with the help of local solicitor Robert Turpie, and guile of long serving secretary Jim Weir, finally defeating the Rangers plan after four hard years.
1969-70: Alex Smith appointed as first ever manager.
1972-73: Warriors defeat Rangers 2-1 at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup (Rangers, at the time, were European Cup Winners Cup holders).
1984: Centenary Year.
1991-92: Striker Billy McLafferty banned for eight and a half months for allegedly head-butting a referee.
1992-93: Warriors allow Stirling Albion to ground share Ochilview. Terry Christie appointed manager.
1993-94: Warriors move out of the bottom league for the first time ever, partly due to reconstruction of the leagues.
1994-95: Beating St. Johnstone (4-0) and Aberdeen (2-0) on the way, the Warriors reach the Scottish Cup quarter final stage.
1995-96: Victory in the Challenge Cup Final, by penalties vs. Dundee United at McDiarmid Park, Perth. Also, a great away Scottish Cup win at then Premier League Falkirk (2-0).
1996-97: New stand opened.
1997-98: Relegation….for the first time ever!
1998-99: Promotion….entirely on merit, for the first time ever! Graeme Armstrong sets the British outfield appearances record, and after Terry Christie resigns as manager, is appointed as his replacement.
1999-2000: Graeme Armstrong is sacked as the Warriors battle against relegation, and local man Brian Fairley is appointed. Relegation avoided, a mass clear out of players in preparation for 2000-2001 season takes place. However, a similar scenario is experienced at the tail end of season 2000-01, following a roller coaster season where the Warriors also challenge for a promotion place.
2001-02: Brian Fairley departs early in the season with Jimmy Bone taking over. However, the Warriors experience great difficulties as the season progresses, and Bone departs with the Warriors second bottom and “relegated”. However, Airdrieonians FC go out of business, leading to a reprieve for ‘Muir, and John McVeigh takes over a club which remained in Division Two for season 2002-03. Flirting with both promotion and relegation in the final weeks of season 2002-03, the Warriors once again remain in SFL league two for 2003-04.
2003-04: Falkirk FC come ground sharing pending completion of their new stadium at Westfield, while the Warriors plan extensive redevelopments independent of our temporary tenants. On the field, however, Stenhousemuir FC struggle. Manager John McVeigh leaves the Club in January by “mutual consent”. The club finish bottom of SFL Division Two and are relegated.
2004-05: A double management team of Des McKeown and Tony Smith have a disappointing season in Division 3, as the Warriors finish seventh. A new roof appears, built by Warrior volunteers, over the west (Tryst Road end) terraces.
2005-06: A thrilling season in which Stenhousemuir, Cowdenbeath and Berwick Rangers engage in a close run fight for the Division 3 championship. However a dip in form at the end of the season sees them finish in third place and in the playoffs, they lose 1-0 on aggregate to Berwick.
2006-07: The Club announces that they will be laying a new synthetic surface at Ochilview during the summer, in time for the start of the new season. The surface will be the first in the UK to pass the FIFA 2 Star category accreditation and is reported as being “the very latest in technology”. Manager Des McKeown resigns as manager after a disappointing start to the season.
Share your knowledge about 'Stenhousemuir' with the thousands of monthly visitors to this website. Additions, questions, corrections, obmissions, are all welcome (no matter how large or small), in fact we positively encourage it! Leave your contribution to the 'Stenhousemuir' page by filling in the form below.