Stenhousemuir F.C.

History

The club claims to have been founded in 1884 after a breakaway from Heather Rangers, but this is not supported by contemporary records; Heather Rangers likely did not exist until around 1890. A Stenhousemuir FC existed from 1881 to 1885, and the current club was first reported in the press in 1886. Earlier references include a Stenhousemuir Thistle Cricket Club around 1881, a reserve XI match in May 1882, and a senior match against Alloa Athletic in September 1882.

Stenhousemuir was admitted to the SFA in August 1883 but struck off in August 1885 for non-payment. The club moved to Ochilview Park in 1890 after spells at Tryst Park and Goschen Park. Early success came with Scottish Qualifying Cup wins in 1901 and 1902, and a Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers in 1902–03. Stenhousemuir entered senior league football in 1921–22.

In 1925–26, goalkeeper Joe Shortt rejected a £50 bribe to throw a match against Broxburn United; the Warriors won 6–2, and a bookmaker from Bainsford was jailed for attempted match fixing. The wooden grandstand at Ochilview Park burnt down in 1928, leading to a new stand. A record 9–2 league victory over Dundee United came in 1936–37. A record crowd of 12,525 watched a Scottish Cup quarter-final against East Fife in 1949–50.

On 7 November 1951, the first floodlit game between two Scottish senior teams took place at Ochilview, a friendly between Stenhousemuir and Hibernian; the floodlights were paid for three years earlier by Tommy Douglas, a butcher in King Street, Stenhousemuir. In 1964, Rangers tried to remove the Warriors from the league along with four other clubs, but the plan was defeated with support from Celtic, Hamilton Academical and Airdrieonians. In 1972–73, the Warriors defeated Rangers 2–1 at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup second round second leg, though Rangers progressed 6–2 on aggregate.

In 1994–95, they defeated St Johnstone 4–0 and Aberdeen 2–0 en route to the Scottish Cup quarter-finals. In 1995–96, Stenhousemuir won the Scottish Challenge Cup, defeating Dundee United 5–4 on penalties after a goalless draw. In 1997–98, they were relegated to the Scottish Third Division for the first time, but won promotion back the next season. In 2006–07, the club installed a new synthetic surface at Ochilview Park, the first in the UK to pass FIFA 2 Star category accreditation.

At the end of the 2008–09 season, they were promoted back to the Second Division after a play-off final win over Cowdenbeath on penalties. In 2013, they reached their second Challenge Cup semi-final, losing 1–0 to Rangers. In January 2014, Scott Booth was appointed manager; he was relieved of his duties on 1 February 2015 after winning just 12 from 42 games. Brown Ferguson took temporary charge, and on 2 April 2015, 'Bomber' Brown was announced as full-time manager for 2015–16.

After relegation in 2016–17, the club came straight back up the following season via the play-offs. 2018–19 saw relegation back to League Two after defeat to Annan Athletic in the play-offs. After five seasons in League Two, Stenhousemuir won the first league championship in their 140-year history on 6 April 2024, securing the title with a 0–0 draw against East Fife.

Supporters and rivalries

The Stenhousemuir Supporters' Trust, established in 2003, is the official supporters' club and is registered as a not-for-profit Industrial and Provident Society. Its chairman, Graeme Wallace, also serves as stadium announcer at Ochilview. A Norwegian Supporters' Club, founded on New Year's Eve 1992 by Rolf Erik Wulff, Christian Wulff and Kjell Jarslett, has about 30 members and was given a share of the club in 1996. Notable fans include actor Isiah Whitlock and Monty Python star Michael Palin. The club's biggest rivals are East Stirlingshire, with whom they share a fierce local rivalry and have often played in the same division. A smaller rivalry exists with Falkirk.