On Monday 13^th October 1879, a meeting took place and Montrose Football Club was officially formed. Here are the words as described in the local newspaper at the time – ‘On Monday a meeting of Montrose Football Club was held in the Town Hall and it was agreed unanimously to change the rules of the club to those of the General Association. The following office bearers were appointed for the ensuing season : G.J. Lindsay, Captain, D.P. Davidson, Secretary and Treasurer and also on the Committee were Robert Johnstone, John Skene, John Smith, A Wadie and Thomas Johnstone.’

Football was becoming very popular and by playing by Associaion Rules it meant we could play against opposition from the relatively newly formed Scottish Football Association.

Four weeks later, on this very day (8^th Nov) in 1879, we played our first match, against Arbroath Wanderers down on the Links. Playing in black and white stripes we lost 4-0 with the favoured formation of the time being 2-2-6. The team that day was G Gauld, J Fotheringham, J Hunter, J Marr, T Johnston, R Johnston, E Lindsay (captain), D P Davidson, J Skene, J Smith and A Wadie.

Whilst todays fans will fondly recall some great times in the mid 1970’s, the 1980’s and more recently winning the League 2 Championship in 2018, our beloved Club has had a healthy share of good times over the last 145 years.

The 1890’s

In our first season playing league football which was in 1891/92 our first game ended in a 4-4 draw against Dundee Harp at Links Park on 19^th September 1891 and although we finished that season in the Northern League in 3^rd place out of 8 teams we won our first piece of silverware by winning the Forfarshire Cup for the first time beating Dundee East End 5-3 at West Craigie Park on 23^rd January 1892.

Also, in 1892 two of our players were in the full Scotland team which won 3-2 away in Ireland, Alex Keillor and George Bowman.

The early 1900’s

Season 1903/04 saw us win our first League Title which was the Northern League. We were champions 7 points ahead of second placed Arbroath in a 12-team league. Indeed, we won all eleven home games that season which was simply amazing.

Many clubs had turned professional by then and Montrose lost several players because of that, and our league form suffered.

The 1920’s

Our next bit of silverware was to win the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1922. It was 1922/23 before we won our next League title in the Eastern League but that was in a league with only 8 teams, but it was enough for us to be invited to join the newly formed SFL Division Three – we were then on our way in the Scottish League. We finished 4^th in a 16-team league in that first season but Division 3 folded after 3 seasons and it was in 1929 when we were invited to join an enlarged SFL Division 2. We finished mid table that season.

The 1930’s

In 1935 our first Supporters Club was formed and that showed optimism in the town. Crowds improved and form crept up from the doldrums until being interrupted by WW2 in 1939.

The late 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s

After WW2 we were placed back into the Eastern League until 1946 when we re-gained our SFL status albeit in the SFL ‘C’ Division until we were invited to join a larger Division 2 and at that point, we became regular SFL, now SPFL competitors. In those years it very hard keeping afloat financially with games all over Scotland and with part-time players, so lean times in terms of results. We did hover around promotion to the top tier in 1961/62 but fell just short in a time when the great Norman Christle brought the club into respectability.

The 1970’s Golden Years with Alex Stuart

Those lean times as above lasted a long time in an 18 or 19 team division, but it started to change during Alex Stuart’s first season as Manager.  We were regularly in the top six and because we finished in 3^rd place, we were promoted into the new second tier First Division in 1975 and in that division we finished in our highest ever position in the SFL/SPFL league structure. We were third and just missed out on promotion to the top tier. That to fans like me was almost as good as winning a championship.

That same season we also reached the semi-final of the League Cup by beating Hibernian in the quarter-final.  The semi-final was at Hampden Park against Rangers and although we lost, we were in fact 1-0 up at half-time. That was not all, because we reached the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup as well and we were in stoppage time before Hearts equalised. Hearts went on to win the tie in the second replay and but for that stoppage time equaliser, Montrose might well have been in European Football. That’s because Hearts played Dumbarton in the semi-final and we had just beaten Dumbarton 6-0 away so the chances are that we would have played Rangers in the final and as Rangers had won the league the Cup runners-up would have played in the European Cup Winners Cup – but as it turned out it was Hearts and not Montrose. We stayed in the second tier until 1979.

The 1980’s and the Golden Ian Stewart Era

In the 1984/85 season, we were the SFL Division 2 Champions by pipping Alloa Athletic by 3 points. During that season the great David Larter played his first game for Montrose in a 1-0 win at Lesser Hampden. We were back in Division 1 i.e. the second tier but that era ended not long after when Ian Stewart left in 1990.

The 1990’s

Now back in Division 2 until 1991, when joint Managers Chic McLelland and Doug Rougvie achieved promotion at the first attempt finishing just behind Stirling Albion and in second place. Only for a single season however and we were back into Division 2 in the newly created Division 3 in 1994, but we were promoted again in 1995 by finishing second, 7 points ahead of Ross County. It didn’t last however, and we were back into Division 3 in 1996 where we stayed for a very long time though it was re-named as SPFL League 2.

2016 onwards – The Next Golden Era with Manager Stewart Petrie

We were Champions for a second time by winning League 2 and gaining promotion to League 1 (third tier).

The Present Era

Stewart Petrie is now our longest serving Manager and I’m sure he will agree that his managerial team such as Ross Campbell his Assistant have been fantastic as well. That goes for the players and all the back-room staff right through to the Board of Directors. We are still a part-time club playing mainly full-time teams, so it’s credit all round to everyone at this club for getting us into play-off positions time after time in recent years. Long may it continue or better and it most probably will do, with golden oldies like Paul Watson, Terry Masson, Andrew Steeves, Graham Webster, Sean Dillon and Michael Gardyne still in the squad as well as all those with younger legs running all over the pitch.

To recap on this present Golden Era since 2016 when Stewart Petrie became our Manager, here is our record since then:

2016/17           Finished 4^th out of 10 and in a play-off position but lost to Peterhead.

2017/18           Finished 1^st and were champions – promoted to League 1.

2018/19           Finished 4^th and in a play-off position but lost to Queen of the South

2019/20           Finished 4^th and in a play-off position but not played because of Covid ending the season early.

2020/21           Finished 4^th and in a play-off position but lost to Greenock Morton.

2021/22           Finished 3^rd and in a play-off position but lost to Airdrieonians.

2022/23           Finished 7^th in mid-table- in transition re-building our squad.

2023/24           Finished 4^th and in a play-off position but lost to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

This sustained period of success has been built largely on loyalty, a fact that shines through when you look at the top all-time appearance holders for the Club. With Legends Les Barr out in front on 500, and Bobby Livingstone on 447, current player Terry Masson is set to overtake Bobby’s record before Christmas and with Graham Webster, Andy Steeves and Paul Watson all over the 350-mark, half of the top 8 all-time appearance holders for this 145-year-old club are playing in the team today.

Also, Graham Webster is only 4 goals away from overtaking Colin McGlashan’s 81 goals for the Club, which would move Webby into 5^th place in the all-time goal scoring chart behind Gordon Wallace (86), Gary Murray (106), Jimmy Kemp (164) and Bobby Livingstone (165).

We must not forget all the other Managers, Assistants, coaches, and players who also contributed to our success even though they didn’t win titles, BUT they helped to keep our club afloat often in challenging times both before and after the two World Wars.

The Women

The emergence of our Women’s team in recent years has only further strengthened the community and inclusive feel of our great Club. Under current Manager Craig Feroz, following an incredible run of back-to-back promotions, first winning the SWL Championship North in 2021/22 without losing a game, and then lifting the SWPL 2 Championship trophy the following year, we have been holding our own in the topflight of the Women’s game in Scotland for the last two seasons, amongst the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Glasgow City. An amazing feat for a provincial part time club.

And finally, who else?

We must also give credit to the Board of Directors and all other staff at the club over the years such as groundsmen and secretarial staff, kitchen staff, cleaners, commercial staff and programme editors – in fact everyone who did their bit over the 145 years and ongoing.

AND- the Fans of course; where would we be without them- we are all the Mo.  

Our History

It is so important to record our history for future generations. Some of it was not fully recorded in our very early days but anything which comes to light should and will be recorded for posterity – We are the Mo and always will be!

Steve Doyle – MFC Historian