Cowdenbeath F.C.

Cowdenbeath

Full name	Cowdenbeath Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Blue Brazil, Cowden, The Miners
Founded	1881
Ground	Central Park, Cowdenbeath, Scotland
Capacity	4,309[1]
Chairman	Donald Findlay[2]
Head coach	Liam Fox[3]
League	Scottish League Two
2015–16	Scottish League One, 9th (relegated via play-off)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Cowdenbeath Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football team based in Cowdenbeath, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system. Formed in 1881, the club has played at Central Park since 1917. They first joined the Scottish Football League (SFL) in 1905. The club has never won any of the major honours in Scottish football, but have won lower tier divisional titles on five occasions. They competed in the top division of the SFL from 1924 to 1934, but have only completed one further top flight season since, in 1970–71.

History

Cowdenbeath traditionally date their origin to the merger of two local clubs, Cowdenbeath Rangers (formed 1880) and Cowdenbeath Thistle, which occurred in 1881.^[4] However, research by the club's historian^[5] suggests the Cowdenbeath Rangers name continued to be used at this time and the founding of Cowdenbeath F.C. should properly be dated to 1882,^[6] when another merger saw Rangers combine with a local club called Raith Rovers (formed 1881 and unrelated to the present Kirkcaldy club). The establishment of one club to represent the town thus coincided with the establishment of the Fifeshire Football Association that year. Cowdenbeath, who are the oldest surviving football club in Fife, lost in the inaugural Fife Cup final in 1883 but won the Cup for the first time in 1885.

In 1888 the club moved to North End Park, and in 1905 were admitted to Division Two of the Scottish Football League. They won Division Two in 1913–14 and 1914–15, but were not promoted to Division One on either occasion. The SFL was suspended due to World War I in 1915, and the club moved to Central Park in 1917. They were placed in Division Two when it was reformed in 1921, and after finishing as runners-up in 1923–24, the club were promoted to Division One for the first time.

The club remained in Division One until being relegated at the end of the 1933–34 season but claimed their third Division Two championship in 1938–39. This feat was in no small part aided by Rab Walls' 54 League goals – the second highest seasonal total in Scottish League history. However, the outbreak of World War II cut short Cowden's return to Division One, and the club closed down for the duration of hostilities. When peacetime football resumed in 1946, the club were controversially placed in the new (second tier) B Division.

While a 1949 League Cup success over Rangers at Ibrox was a highlight of the early post-war period, Cowden struggled to return to the elite level of Scottish football. This was finally achieved under popular manager Andy Matthew in the 1969–70 season, but the solitary season in Division One that followed remains the club's only top flight campaign since the 1930s. More recently, hopes for the future were raised when Cowden were promoted to the First Division in season 1991–92, but they soon slumped back to the basement of the Scottish League amidst a run of 38 League games without a win at Central Park.

A more professional approach was ushered in with the appointment of former Scotland defender Craig Levein, who had begun his playing career with Cowdenbeath, as manager in 1997. Promotion from the Third Division was achieved in the 2000–01 season, although they would be relegated again two years later. After a third-place finish in the 2004–05 season. The 2005–06 campaign saw the team achieve their first divisional title win for 67 years with player-manager Mixu Paatelainen when they won the Third Division. Season 2008–09 saw Danny Lennon's side miss out on promotion in a penalty shoot-out after a scoreless two-legged match and extra time against Stenhousemuir. However, they were promoted to the second division for the 2009–10 season as Livingston were demoted to the Scottish Third Division after breaching the league's rules on insolvency. After a tough start to life in the Scottish Second Division, Cowden soon found their feet and finished in third place. Amazingly they went on to defeat Alloa and Brechin in the play-offs to secure promotion.

Prior to the 2010–11 season Jimmy Nicholl was appointed new manager.^[7] They were relegated from the First Division to the Second Division on Saturday 14 May 2011 after losing their relegation/promotion play-off semi-final tie 4–2 on aggregate to Brechin City with the first leg at Glebe Park ending 2–2 and the second leg at Central Park ending 2–0 to Brechin City. It was a massive blow to the club especially after being 2–0 up at half time in the first leg in Brechin.

Under new manager Colin Cameron,^[8] Cowdenbeath immediately regained promotion the following season, winning the league with two games remaining.^[9] The season after, they ensured survival on the final matchday with a 3–1 away win over Hamilton Academical.^[10] The following season they avoided relegation again by defeating local rivals Dunfermline Athletic 4–1 on aggregate in the Championship Play Off final thanks to goals from Kane Hemmings, Greg Stewart and Thomas O'Brien.

The following season they finished bottom of the Championship after losing 3–0 on the final day to fellow strugglers Alloa Athletic. Before kick off Cowdenbeath had sat in eighth place but were overtaken by Alloa and Livingston who also won. Jimmy Nicholl handed in his resignation shortly after the match leaving Colin Nish to rebuild the team for life in Ladbrokes League One. Unfortunately Nish was unable to stop the slide and Cowdenbeath suffered successive relegations, finishing 9th but being defeated 2–1 on aggregate by Queen's Park in the semi-finals of the play-offs. Nish was sacked on the 12th of May 2016.

Honours

• Scottish First Division:^[11]
  • 1913–14,^[12]1914–15,^[13] 1938–39^[14]
• Scottish Second Division:
  • 2011–12^[15]
• Scottish Third Division:
  • 2005–06^[16]

Club records

Biggest win: 12–0 vs Johnstone in Scottish Cup on 21 January 1928^[17]

Biggest loss:

• 1–11 vs Clyde on 6 October 1951^[17]
• 0–10 vs Hearts on 28 February 2015

Biggest home attendance: 25,586 vs Rangers on 21 September 1949^[17]

Youngest player to make competitive debut: Grant Manzie vs Forfar Athletic F.C on 11 November 2006 (15 years 357 days) 2006-07 in Scottish Division 2 (3-2 win)

Managers

John Young (1905–1906) Joe Parker (1906) Sandy Paterson (1906–1924) Jimmy Richardson (1924–1925) Scott Duncan (1925–1932) Sandy Paterson (1932–1933) John Dougary (1934–1938) Bill Hodge (1938–1946) Willie Fotheringham (1946–1948) George Sweet (1948–1951) Bobby Baxter (1951–1955) John Dougary (1955–1958) Jimmy Mitchell (1958–1959) Archie Buchanan (1959–1960) Harry Colville (1960–1964) Archie Robertson (1964–1968) Andy Matthew (1968–1974) Bert Paton (1974) Dan McLindon (1974–1975) Frank Connor (1975–1977) Pat Wilson (1977–1980) Pat Stanton (1980) Andy Rolland (1980–1982) Hugh Wilson (1982–1983)

Willie McCulloch (1983–1984) John Clark (1984–1985) Joe Craig (1985–1987) Dick Campbell (1987) John Blackley (1987–1988) John Brownlie (1988–1992) Andy Harrow (1992–1993) John Reilly (1993–1994)[18] Paddy Dolan (1994–1995) Tom Steven (1995–1997) Sammy Conn (1997)[19] Craig Levein (1997–2000)[20] Peter Cormack (2000)[21][22] Gary Kirk (2000–2002)[20] Keith Wright (2002–2004)[23][24] David Baikie (2004–2005)[25][26] Mixu Paatelainen (2005–2006)[27][28] Brian Welsh (2006–2008)[29][30] Danny Lennon (2008–2010)[31][32] Jimmy Nicholl (2010–2011)[33][34] Colin Cameron (2011–2013)[8] Jimmy Nicholl (2013–2015)[35][36] Colin Nish (2015–2016)[37][38] Liam Fox (2016–)[3]

Club officials

Board of Directors

Position[39]	Name
Chairman	Donald Findlay
Club President	Alex Anderson
Finance Director	David Allan
Operations Director	John Cameron
Investment Director	Neil Fentie
Club Director	Jimmy Calderwood
Club Director	Sandy Ferguson
Club Director	Alan Smart
Governance & Compliance Director	Margaret Steven
Youth & Community Development Director	Thomas Ewing
Commercial Director	Malcolm Slora

Coaching staff

Position[40][41]	Name
Head Coach	Liam Fox[3]
First Team Coach	Neil Hastings
Goalkeeping Coach	Scott Dowie
Physiotherapist	Sarah Watson
U20's Manager	Brian Nelson
Kit Manager	Darren Adamson
Club Doctor	Bob Brownlie

Players

Current squad

As of 1 September 2016^[42][43][44]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK David McGurn (captain) 2 DF Dean Brett 3 DF Kenny Adamson 4 DF Fraser Mullen 5 DF Craig Sives 6 MF Kyle Miller 7 MF Lewis Moore (on loan from Heart of Midlothian) 8 MF Burton O'Brien 9 FW Nikolay Todorov (on loan from Heart of Midlothian) 10 FW Gary Glen 11 MF Chris Turner 14 FW Kris Renton

No. Position Player 15 MF David Robertson 16 DF Shaun Rutherford 17 GK Jamie Sneddon 18 FW Craig Johnston 20 DF James Creaney 21 DF Gerry McLauchlan 22 MF Brian Ross 23 DF Jamie Pyper 24 FW Aaron Murrell (on loan from Dundee United) 26 DF Jordan Leslie 29 FW Cameron Muirhead

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 19 MF Harvey Swann (on loan at Whitehill Welfare)

Transfers

For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers summer 2016.

Noted players

The following former Cowdenbeath players are all members of the club's Hall of Fame or recent players who are still playing at a higher level in Scotland (as well as some notable loan players).

Raymond Allan Eric Archibald Robert Baillie Graeme Brown Liam Buchanan Pat Clarke Fraser Carver Willie Devlin John Dickson Scott Duncan John Falconer Brian Ferrier Tom Glancy Charlie Gronbach Morgaro Gomis Craig Gordon

George Jordan Andy Kinnell Bob Law Thomas Leask Jim Leishman Hookey Leonard Craig Levein Duncan Lindsay Jim McArthur John Martin Andy Matthew Alex Menzies Willie Mercer Armand One Markus Paatelainen Mikko Paatelainen

Willie Paterson James Pollock John Pollock Derek Riordan Innes Ritchie Andy Rolland Davie Ross Greg Stewart Alex Venters Rab Walls Steven Weir George Wilson Craig Winter

References

1. "Cowdenbeath Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
2. "Donald Findlay back in football at the helm of Cowdenbeath". The Scotsman. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
3. "Welcome Liam Fox!". cowdenbeathfc.com. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
4. This continues to be the official date of foundation given by the club. See Club Info, Cowdenbeath F.C. official website
5. Letter to the Editor by David Allan, Scottish Football Historian No.47, May/June 1991
6. David Allan's history of the club on their website supports the 1882 date, contradicting the official date given elsewhere on the site. See Club Info – History, Cowdenbeath F.C. official website
7. Cowdenbeath FC. "Jimmy Nicholl appointed as new Blue Brazil manager". Cowdenbeath website.
8. "Colin Cameron named as manager by new-look board at Cowdenbeath". The Scotsman. 5 June 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
9. "Cowdenbeath 2 Forfar 0". The Sun. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
10. "Hamilton 1–3 Cowdenbeath". Scottish Football League. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
11. Known as second division prior to 1975
12. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES – SEASON 1913/14". Scottish Football League. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
13. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES – SEASON 1914/15". Scottish Football League. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
14. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES – SEASON 1938/39". Scottish Football League. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
15. "Cowdenbeath tie up league title in front of jubilant home crowd". The Scotsman. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
16. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP – SEASON 2005/06". Scottish Football League. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
17. David Potter And Phil H. Jones (2011). The Encyclopaedia of Scottish Football. Pitch Publishing. pp. 57–58. ISBN 9781908051103.
18. "Cowdenbeath also have their troubles to bear". The Herald. 16 October 1993. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
19. "Sammy Conn". Cowdenbeath F.C. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
20. "Managers". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
21. "Cormack arrives at Central Park". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 December 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
22. "Cowdenbeath axe Cormack". The Scotsman. 15 December 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
23. "Wright in after Kirk sacking". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 March 2002. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
24. "Cowdenbeath sack Wright". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 October 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
25. "Cowdenbeath name Baikie as boss". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 October 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
26. "Cowdenbeath part with boss Baikie". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
27. "Paatelainen to boss Cowdenbeath". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 August 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
28. "Paatelainen makes Finland return". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 October 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
29. "Welsh named new Cowdenbeath boss". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
30. "Football boss wins legal battle". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
31. "Lennon in charge as Welsh is axed". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
32. "St Mirren conclude deal to make Danny Lennon their new manager". Daily Record. 7 June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
33. "Jimmy Nicholl is confirmed as Cowdenbeath manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
34. "Colin Cameron replaces Jimmy Nicholl at Cowdenbeath". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
35. "Jimmy Nicholl Takes The Hotseat". 30 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
36. "Cowdenbeath: Jimmy Nicholl resigns as boss after relegation". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
37. "Cowdenbeath on the hunt for new manager after parting company with Colin Nish". The Courier. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
38. "Cowdenbeath name Colin Nish as new player/manager". The Courier. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
39. "Cowdenbeath FC - Blue Brazil Online - Cowden - The Beath - Meet the Board".
40. "First team coaching staff". Cowdenbeath F.C. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
41. "Academy Coaching Staff". Cowdenbeath F.C. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
42. "1st Team Squad". (Cowdenbeath F.C.). Retrieved 13 April 2012.
43. "Cowdenbeath profile". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
44. "2013/2014 Squad Numbers". cowdenbeathfc.com. Cowdenbeath F.C. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.

Further reading

• Ferguson, Ron (1993). Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil: A Chronicle of Coal, Cowdenbeath and Football. Ellon: Famedram. ISBN 0905489-53-5.
• Ferguson, Ron (2006). Helicopter Dreams – the quest for the Holy Grail. Ellon: Famedram. ISBN 0905489-86-1.

External links

• Official website