Stranraer F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Stranraer Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Blues | |||
| Founded | 1870 | |||
| Ground | Stair Park, Stranraer | |||
| Capacity | 4,178 (1,830 seated) | |||
| Chairman | Iain Dougan | |||
| Manager | Chris Aitken | |||
| League | Scottish League One | |||
| 2015–16 | Scottish League One, 4th | |||
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Stranraer Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football club. It is based in the town of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway. The club started in 1870, making it one of the oldest football clubs in Scotland and even in the world!
Stranraer is known as "The Blues" because of their blue kit. They play their home games at Stair Park. This stadium can hold about 1,830 seated fans. The club currently plays in Scottish League Two. This is part of the Scottish Professional Football League.
The team has won the Scottish Second Division twice. Their most recent win was in 1997–98. They also finished second in 2004–05 and 2014–15. In 1996, they won their only national cup final. They beat St Johnstone 1–0 in the Scottish Challenge Cup final.
Contents
Club History
Stranraer Football Club was founded in 1870. They have played their home games at Stair Park since 1907. For many years, Stranraer played in local leagues. In 1949, they joined the national C Division. This division included reserve teams from bigger clubs.
In 1955, the C Division was removed. Stranraer then played in the B Division. This meant they were playing against first teams. Their first promotion came in 1993–94. This was under their famous manager, Alex McAnespie.
Moving Up and Down the Leagues
After the 1993–94 season, the league system changed. Stranraer, as champions, moved up to the new First Division. However, they finished last in their first season there. They only earned 17 points from 36 games.
Under manager Campbell Money, Stranraer spent three seasons in the Second Division. They then won promotion back to the First Division in 1997–98. Again, they finished last in the First Division.
During Campbell Money's time, the club won the Scottish League Challenge Cup. This was a big moment for them. They beat St Johnstone 1–0 in the final on November 3, 1996.
Cup Runs and Challenges
After this, Billy McLaren became manager. The team spent four more years in the Second Division. A highlight was their strong run in the Scottish Cup in 2002–03. They reached the quarter-finals but lost 4–0 to SPL team Motherwell.
Despite their cup success, their league form was not as good. They finished ninth in the Second Division. This meant they were moved down to the Third Division for the 2003–04 season.
Things improved under manager Neil Watt. They won the Third Division in their first try. This earned them promotion back to the Second Division. In 2004–05, they stayed near the top of the league. A 1–1 draw with Morton helped them get promoted to the First Division for the third time. However, they were moved down again the next season.
In 2006–07, the team had a tough season. They lost heavily to other teams trying to avoid being moved down. They finished ninth and had to play in a play-off. They lost 4–2 on total score to East Fife. This meant they were moved down to the Third Division.
Facing Financial Difficulties
In 2009, Stranraer faced financial challenges. The club needed help to keep going. Fans and the football community started a group called "Friends of Stranraer F.C." to raise money. To save costs, a key player, Gregory Tade, moved to another club.
Soon after, manager Derek Ferguson left. Keith Knox took over. On April 4, 2009, Stranraer was confirmed to be moved down to Division Three. This meant the club had been in a different division for eight seasons in a row.
The team also had some very tough cup losses. In 2011, they lost 8–0 to Morton in a cup game. A year later, they lost 8–0 at home to Livingston in another cup match.
A Turnaround in Fortunes
In 2012, a big change in Scottish football happened. This led to more teams being promoted. Stranraer, who had been runners-up in the Third Division play-offs, were promoted to the Second Division. They managed to stay in the third tier of Scottish football. This was after a 2–1 win against Stenhousemuir on the last day of the season. Stephen Aitken had taken over as manager in October.
Under Stephen Aitken, the club did well in the third tier. They finished third in 2013–14 and second in 2014–15. In 2013, Stranraer scored their first goal against Rangers at Ibrox. They also earned their first point against the Glasgow club.
In both of these seasons, they lost in the promotion play-offs. The club also did well in cup competitions. They beat Ross County in the League Cup and took Inverness to a replay in the Scottish Cup.
Play-off Drama
Stephen Aitken left to manage Dumbarton in May 2015. Brian Reid quickly became the new manager. Stranraer had a very bad start to the 2015–16 season. They were at the bottom of the table by Christmas. However, they had a great run of games afterwards. They finished 4th and qualified for the promotion play-offs for the third year in a row.
This was the seventh time Stranraer had been in a play-off. They had not won in the first six tries. But in 2008 and 2012, they were promoted as losing finalists due to other clubs' situations.
In the play-off semi-finals, they played Livingston. Stranraer won 5–2 at Stair Park in the first game. In the second game, Livingston scored two late goals. This made the total score 6–6. Stranraer scored twice in extra time to win 8–6 overall.
They then faced Ayr United in the final. The winner would get a place in the second tier. The first game at Stair Park was a 1–1 draw. The second game ended 0–0. Ayr won 3–1 in a penalty shootout and were promoted.
The 2016–17 season also started poorly for Stranraer. After a loss to Stenhousemuir in January, Brian Reid left. Stephen Farrell became the new manager.
In the 2023–2024 season, Stranraer finished last in Scottish League Two. They had to play against East Kilbride in a play-off to avoid being moved down to non-league football. A 2–2 draw away from home meant they needed to win at Stair Park. They won 3–1 in extra time! This win caused a pitch invasion by 1,800 Stranraer fans. It was their biggest crowd in almost ten years.
Club Records
- Most league points in a season:
- 58 points (Second Division – 1993–94) (when a win was 2 points)
- 79 points (Third Division – 2003–04) (when a win was 3 points)
- Most league goals scored by a player in a season:
- Derek Frye scored 27 goals in 1977–78
- Record attendance:
- 6,500 fans watched them play Rangers on January 24, 1948
- Record victory:
- 9–0 against St Cuthbert Wanderers in 2010 (Scottish Cup)
- 9–0 against Wigtown in 2011 (Scottish Cup)
- Record defeat:
- 1–11 against Queen of the South in 1932
In 1990, Stranraer made history. They were the first team to win a Scottish Cup game on penalties. They beat Kilmarnock 4–3 after a 0–0 draw.
The club also holds a record for shirt sponsorship. Stena Line has been on their shirts since the 1996–97 season. Before that, Sealink was their sponsor from 1988 to 1989. Since Sealink changed its name to Stena Line, the sponsor has been the same for over 35 seasons! This is one of the longest-running sponsorships in world football. It is the longest unbroken sponsorship in UK football.
Club Honours
League Titles
- Scottish Second Division: (third tier)
- Winners (2): 1993–94, 1997–98
- Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2014–15
- Scottish Third Division: (fourth tier)
- Winners (1): 2003–04
- Runners-up (1): 2007–08
- South of Scotland Football League:
- Winners (16): 1948–49, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1982–83 and 2018–19°
° Reserve Team
Cup Wins
- Scottish Challenge Cup:
- Winners (1): 1996
- Scottish Qualifying Cup:
- Winners (1): 1937–38
- Runners-up (1): 1946–47
Current Squad
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On loan
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Club Officials
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Chris Aitken
- Assistant manager: Stephen Aitken
- Goalkeeping coach: Jim Low
- Head of youth development: Allan Jenkins
- Club doctor: Yusuf Rushdi
- Groundsman: Colin Agnew
Images for kids
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Stair Park, home of Stranraer FC.
See also
In Spanish: Stranraer Football Club para niños
