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| Full name | Montrose Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Gable Endies Links Park Dynamo The Mo | ||
| Founded | 13 October 1879; 146 years ago (13 October 1879) | ||
| Ground | Links Park,Montrose | ||
| Capacity | 4,936[1] | ||
| Chairman | John Crawford | ||
| Manager | Stewart Petrie | ||
| League | Scottish League One | ||
| 2024–25 | Scottish League One, 8th of 10 | ||
| Website | montrosefc | ||
Montrose Football Club is aScottishsemi-professionalfootball team, based in the town ofMontrose,Angus. The club was founded in 1879. They are members of theScottish Professional Football League and currently play inScottish League One, the third tier of football in Scotland.
The first Montrose Football Club was formed on 25 February 1871 after a meeting of local young men seeking to organise the practice of the 'national game of football' on the Links of Montrose. The variety of football played at the time did not resemble themodern game and was more akin torugby. Friendly matches amongst club members andtownsfolk,Montrose Academical,Arbroath andAberdeen University were played over the next few years before the club was dissolved. On 8 September 1877, a new football club was formed at a meeting atMontrose Academy.
During the new club's annual meeting on 13 October 1879 at theTown's Buildings, the committee unanimously resolved to change the rules of the club to those ofGeneral Association, with an association rules match amongst club members played later that week on 18 October 1879.[2]
The club played their first externalassociation rules match againstArbroath Wanderers on 8 November 1879. Given the fact that the Montrose side were unfamiliar with new rules of the game, the team unsurprisingly lost 4–0.[3] They are the 18th oldest association football team inScotland still in existence.
Montrose first played on the Links before eventually moving to the first Links Park, which was situated to the east of Dorward House. The original Links Park was not considered to be suitable for football and the club moved to the present-dayLinks Park in 1887 on land rented from the 'Auld Kirk'.
Montrose made theirScottish Cup debut in1887 with a 5–7 win away to Broughty. By 1890, Montrose had one of the stronger teams in the Scottish game. In the intervening years since the club's formation, they had beatenAberdeen and played several teams from the West of Scotland such asDumbarton,Third Lanark Volunteers andGlasgow Thistle.
In 1891,Alex 'Sandy' Keillor became the first Montrose player to receive aScotland cap in a call-up for their win againstWales inWrexham. Keillor received one more cap during his time at Montrose, scoring the opening goal in a 3–2 victory overIreland inBelfast during the1891–92 British Home Championship. Fellow 'Gable Endie'George Bowman was also capped in that match. To this day, Bowman and Keillor remain the only players to be selected for Scotland whilst playing for Montrose.[4]
George Bowman also captained Montrose to their first piece of silverware, theForfarshire Cup, with a 5–3 win overDundee East End in the 1892 final atWest Craigie Park.[5]
In 1921, Montrose won theScottish Qualifying Cup after defeatingNithsdale Wanderers 2–1 in the second replay of the final atIbrox.
They joined theScottish Football League in 1923, along with near-neighboursBrechin City, in the newly foundedThird Division. In1923–24 they achieved a creditable fourth-placed finish. However, thefollowing season Montrose finished at the bottom of the table, and despite signs of a recovery in1925–26, lost their league place when the Third Division was scrapped owing to the financial difficulties experienced by many of the member clubs. Montrose are one of only two teams from the sixteen teams in the 1925–26 Third Division who are still competing today in theSPFL.
The club was re-admitted to the Second Division in 1929–30. In the 1930s, the first few league seasons after re-admission were difficult, with the club regularly finishing in the bottom four of the table. Montrose did however reach the quarter-finals of the1929–30 Scottish Cup, drawn away to eventual winnersRangers. Perhaps the best result of that difficult decade came in the1938–39 Scottish Cup, when in the first round, Montrose sensationally knocked out holdersEast Fife by a 2–1 scoreline atBayview Park.
In the immediatepostwar period, Montrose spent time playing in the newly formed Division C, consisting of provincial clubs and some first division reserve sides. In the1947–48 Scottish Cup Montrose playedCeltic atCeltic Park in the quarter-finals, losing 4–0. With the re-formation of the Second Division in1955–56, the club once again joined that league.
The club's halcyon period was the mid-1970s when, under player-managerAlex Stuart, Montrose reached third place in the oldFirst Division, and were a feared and respected cup side, notably reaching the semi-final of the1975–76 Scottish League Cup[6] and the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup in1972–73 and1975–76 - to this day their best performances in both respective cups. In the second round of1974–75 Scottish Cup, Montrose recorded their largest victory in modern times when they beatVale of Leithen 12–0. Although this was an "away" fixture, due to a fire at their opposition's ground this tie was played at Links Park. In the1975–76 Scottish Cup quarter-final, Montrose were only 90 seconds away from a famous victory in front of over 8,000 spectators at Links Park againstHearts, until aninjury time equaliser fromGraham Shaw sent the match to a replay. If Montrose had beaten Hearts, they would have potentially earned a match-up againstLokomotive Leipzig in the1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup as probable Scottish Cup runners-up.[7]
Montrose won their first championship under the guidance of Iain Stewart in1984–85, as they triumphed in the oldSecond Division. Relegation followed in1987 as the part-time club found themselves outgunned in a league largely consisting of full-time teams.
Under co-managersDoug Rougvie andChic McLelland, Montrose won promotion to Division One in1991, after finishing as runners-up toStirling Albion, but were relegated after onefurther season in the higher league.
Montrose have spent the vast majority of their recent history in the relative obscurity of theThird Division. At the end of the1994–95 season, they were promoted to theSecond Division after finishing second behind championsForfar Athletic. However, the team's first attempt at this higher level was not successful, as they finished bottom of the table in1995–96.
In the second round of the2003–04 League Cup, Montrose were drawn away to SPL sideHibernian where they were crushed 9–0.
Following a disappointing beginning to2005–06 season, managerHenry Hall left the club by mutual consent, shortly followed by assistantIan Gilzean. Former Montrose playerEddie Wolecki was appointed new manager of the team on 12 December 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 (exAberdeen,Rangers andLeeds 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 early 2007, replaced in time by ex-St Johnstone stalwart Jim Weir, assisted by experienced defenderKevin McGowne.
Links Park underwent a transformation ahead of the2007–08 campaign. A newartificial pitch was laid, so the game on 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 four for the majority of the season. Montrose came in third in the league and were pitted againstStranraer in theSecond Division 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 Third Division for yet another season.
The2008–09 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 bossJim Weir was sacked by the Board after a 2–1 defeat toCowdenbeath with six months still to run on his contract. U17's boss Steve Adam took the reins before ex-Dundee United andCeltic defenderDavid Hannah became caretaker boss. Hannah left the club in mid-December after a poor 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 atEast Stirlingshire. Director of Football Kenny Black took the reins over the Christmas period until Montrose appointedSteven 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. 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.
The2009–10 season began terribly for the Montrose faithful, with the team failing to win any Division Three matches at all up to 16 January. However, the club reached the2009–10 Scottish Cup fifth round, where they were defeated by Hibernian atEaster Road. On 10 April, Brian Winton stepped down as chairman. The club finished bottom of the Third Division for the first time in eleven years.
2011 saw Steven Tweed finally step down due to work commitments with theRBS.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 two year contracts. In the final game of the season popular playerHugh Davidson chose to retire from the game.
During the2012–13 season, Montrose facedRangers four times in the league due to the latter's financial troubles and subsequent placement into the Scottish Third Division. Montrose managed to draw both home and away matches against the Glasgow team but lost the other two encounters. The home games attracted crowds of over 4,500 at Links Park. Notably, Montrose's 4–2 home defeat against Rangers was televised onESPN, marking the first live televised match for Montrose.
At the end of the2014–15 season, Montrose came last in League Two, and, due to the reform of theScottish football league system, they had to play againstHighland Football League championsBrora Rangers (who were the winner in the semi-final) in theLeague Two play-off. They maintained their status in the SPFL after a 3–2 aggregate win, with two goals in the second half of the home leg byMarvin Andrews andGary Wood saved the club from dropping intonon-league football.[8]
Stewart Petrie was appointed manager in December 2016 after the sacking ofPaul Hegarty a month earlier due to a run of poor performances, which led to the club sitting bottom of League Two.[9] The appointment of Petrie vastly improved the fortunes of the team, achieving a 4th-place finish at the end of season and qualification for theLeague One playoffs for the first time in nine years. Montrose ended up losing 4–1 on aggregate toPeterhead in the playoff semi-final.
The2017–18 season was more notable for altogether happier reasons. Montrose were promoted asLeague Two champions finishing one point ahead of Peterhead, who had pushed them all the way to the last game.[10] This saw Montrose end 22 consecutive seasons in Scotland's fourth tier.
After promotion, Petrie continued to steer the club in a favourable direction inLeague One, achieving top four finishes andChampionship playoff spots for four consecutive seasons. Montrose also reached the round of 16 of the2020–21 Scottish Cup, their best performance in over a decade, losing toKilmarnock 3–1 atRugby Park in the fourth round.[11] Their third-place finish in the2021–22 League One season was the highest for the club in theScottish football league system since their 12th-place finish in the1985–86 old First Division.
During the2023–24 season, Montrose had three matches televised live onBBC Alba, including a 3–2 win overQueen of the South atPalmerston Park.
Montrose share a strong rivalry with local sideArbroath, and matches between the two are usually intense and widely anticipated by both sides. Montrose also share local rivalries with fellowAngus sidesBrechin City andForfar Athletic, with games played by two of any of these teams (including Arbroath) being known asAngus derbies.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Montrose| 1 Aug 1970Friendly | Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | Montrose | Scunthorpe,England |
| Stadium:Old Show Ground |
v Montrose| 3 Aug 1970Friendly | Halifax Town | 2–0 | Montrose | Halifax,England |
| Stadium:The Shay |
v
OFK Kikinda| 5 Aug 1977Friendly | Montrose | 0–1 | OFK Kikinda | Montrose, Scotland |
Plenic 88' | Stadium:Links Park | |||
| Note:OFK Kikinda Scottish Tour First and onlycontinental side to play at Links Park | ||||
vBristol Rovers| 26 Sep 1979Friendly | Montrose | 4–1 | Bristol Rovers | Montrose, Scotland |
| Oliver 17' England OG' 28'Murray 32', 59' | Dennehy 22' | Stadium:Links Park Attendance: 800 Referee: A.C. Harris | ||
| Note: Centenary Match | ||||
vWigan Athletic| 1 Aug 1979Friendly | Montrose | 1–1 | Wigan Athletic | Montrose, Scotland |
| Stadium:Links Park |
v
Cardiff City| 29 July 1980Friendly | Montrose | 0–1 | Cardiff City | Montrose, Scotland |
| Stadium:Links Park |
v Montrose| 27 July 1990Friendly | Altrincham | 1–2 | Montrose | Altrincham,England |
| Rougvie 27' Trialist | Stadium:Moss Lane | |||
| Note: North England Tour | ||||
v Montrose| 28 July 1990Friendly | Northwich Victoria | 2–0 | Montrose | Northwich,England |
| Stadium:Drill Field | ||||
| Note: North England Tour | ||||
v
Dartmouth College| 4 Sept 1990Friendly | Montrose | 0–1 | Dartmouth College | Montrose, Scotland |
| Clark | Stadium:Links Park | |||
| Note: Dartmouth 1990 Scottish Tour | ||||
v Montrose| 24 July 1992Friendly | Rochdale | 0–0 | Montrose | Durham,England |
| Stadium:Ferens Park | ||||
| Note: English Tour | ||||
v Montrose| 25 July 1992Friendly | Whitley Bay | 1–2 | Montrose | Durham,England |
| Carver | Taylor OG' Craib | Stadium:Ferens Park | ||
| Note: English Tour | ||||
v Montrose| 24 July 1993Friendly | Barrow | 1–3 | Montrose | Barrow-in-Furness,England |
| Stadium:Holker Street |
v Montrose| 22 July 1994Friendly | Harrogate Town | 4–3 | Montrose | Harrogate,England |
| Kennedy Harrogate Player OG' | Stadium:Wetherby Road | |||
| Note: Yorkshire Tour | ||||
v Montrose| 24 July 1994Friendly | Farsley Celtic | 1–4 | Montrose | Farsley,England |
| McGlashan Masson Kennedy | Stadium:Throstle Nest | |||
| Note: Yorkshire Tour | ||||
vPortsmouth| 31 July 1995Friendly | Montrose | 0–3 | Portsmouth | Montrose, Scotland |
| Burton Creaney | Stadium:Links Park |
vPreston North End| 18 July 1998Friendly | Montrose | 0–3 | Preston North End | Montrose, Scotland |
| Stadium:Links Park | ||||
| Note: Montrose FC Tournament Semi-Final | ||||
vPlymouth Argyle| 21 July 2001Friendly | Montrose | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle | Montrose, Scotland |
| Report | Wills | Stadium:Links Park | ||
| Note: 2001 Plymouth Argyle Scottish Pre-Season Tour | ||||
vPlymouth Argyle| 22 July 2002Friendly | Montrose | 1–2 | Plymouth Argyle | Montrose, Scotland |
| Report | Lowndes Taylor | Stadium:Links Park Attendance: 374 | ||
| Note: 2002 Plymouth Argyle Scottish Pre-Season Tour | ||||
Bold denotes player still actively playing international football.
In November 2022, former Montrose forward,Martin Boyle was named as a member of theAustralia squad at the2022 World Cup.[14] He is only the third former Montrose player to have also been a member of aWorld Cup squad, with the others beingJimmy Rooney, a member of theAustralia squad at the1974 World Cup, andMarvin Andrews, a member of theTrinidad and Tobago squad at the2006 World Cup. Unfortunately, both Boyle and Andrews sustained injuries prior their respective World Cups and thus Rooney is the only former Montrose player to actually play in the World Cup.
Bold denotes player still actively playing with the club. Those in italics are inductees in the Montrose Hall of Fame.
Martin AllanLes Barr
Ivo den BiemanDennis D'ArcyHugh Davidson
Seán Dillon Neil ForbesHarry Johnston Jimmy Kemp Steve King David Larter[15]Bobby LivingstoneInnes MacDonaldTerry MassonColin MaverColin McGlashanChic McLellandBruce MorrisonWillie NicollGary MurrayJohn SheranAndrew SteevesIan StewartAlex Stuart Brian Third Paul WatsonGraham Webster| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
