Cowdenbeath F.C.

Cowdenbeath Football Club (/kaʊdənˈbiːθ/ kow-dən-BEETH) is a Scottish semi-professional football team based in Cowdenbeath, Fife. They are members of the Lowland Football League, the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system after their relegation from Scottish League Two on 14 May 2022 following a 4–0 aggregate defeat to Bonnyrigg Rose. 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.

Cowdenbeath
Full nameCowdenbeath Football Club
Nickname(s)The Blue Brazil
Cowden
The Miners
Founded1881 (1881)
GroundCentral Park
Capacity4,309[1]
ChairmanDonald Findlay[2]
ManagerCalum Elliot
LeagueLowland League
2022–23Lowland League, 15th of 19
WebsiteClub website

History
See also: List of Cowdenbeath F.C. seasons

Cowdenbeath traditionally date their origin to the merger of two local clubs, Cowdenbeath Rangers (formed 1880) and Cowdenbeath Thistle, which occurred in 1881.[3] However, research by the club's historian[4] 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,[5] 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, behind only Jimmy Smith's 66 goals for Ayr United in 1927/28.[6] 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. The season after, they ensured survival on the final matchday with a 3–1 away win over Hamilton Academical.[9] 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. 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 12 May 2016, being replaced by Liam Fox. Continuing Cowdenbeath's woeful run, they finished 10th in the 2016–17 Scottish League Two.[10] They avoided a third consecutive relegation, and dropping out of the SPFL, by winning a play-off against Lowland League champions East Kilbride.[11] The 2017–18 season was no improvement at all, with Cowdenbeath finishing last again and having to go through the play-off to avoid relegation. Their opponents were Highland League champions Cove Rangers and Cowdenbeath survived once again thanks to a 3–2 home win following an away goalless draw.[12] Comparatively, season 2018–19 saw a successful campaign. The club finished in sixth place, comfortably avoiding the play-off spot by 24 points.[13] This improvement in form continued into the truncated season of 2019–20, with the club finishing in fourth place after 27 games played.[14]

In June 2020, it was announced that fans had donated over £14,000 across three months via the 'Club 135' initiative, to assist the club financially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[15]

Club records

Biggest win: 12–0 vs Johnstone in Scottish Cup on 21 January 1928[16]

Biggest loss:

Biggest home attendance: 25,586 vs Rangers on 21 September 1949[16]

Youngest Debut: Grant Manzie vs Forfar Athletic on 11 November 2006 (15 years 357 days) 2006–07 in Scottish Division 2 (3–2 win)

Playing squad
As of 15 September 2023[17]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Scotland SCO Craig Hepburn (on loan from St Johnstone)
— GK Scotland SCO Josh Blair
— DF Scotland SCO Jack Duncan
— DF Scotland SCO Dougie Hill
— DF Scotland SCO Jack Tait
— DF Scotland SCO Gregor Jordan
— DF Scotland SCO Robbie Garcia (on loan from Motherwell)
— DF Scotland SCO Scott Walker
— MF Scotland SCO Aiden McLaughlin
— MF Scotland SCO Lucas Berry
— MF Scotland SCO Adam McDonald (on loan from Motherwell)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Scotland SCO Andy Rodden
— MF Scotland SCO Robbie McNab
— MF Scotland SCO Ciaren Chalmers
— MF Scotland SCO Matthew McDonald
— MF Scotland SCO Zac Butterworth
— FW Scotland SCO Dylan Duncan (on loan from Clyde)
— FW Scotland SCO Michael Cunningham (on loan from East Fife)
— FW Scotland SCO Ewan MacPherson
— FW Scotland SCO Jamie Docherty
— FW Scotland SCO Josh Jack
— FW Scotland SCO Kevin Smith
    • ===Out on loan===

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

No. Pos. Nation Player

Club officials

Board of directors
Position[18]Name
ChairmanDonald Findlay
Club PresidentBob Brownlie
Honorary PresidentsAlex Anderson & Sandy Ferguson
Finance DirectorDavid Allan
Operations DirectorJohn Cameron
Investment DirectorNeil Fentie
Club DirectorCraig Scott
Club DirectorAlan Smart
Governance & Compliance DirectorMargaret Steven
Youth & Community Development DirectorThomas Ewing
Commercial DirectorMalcolm Slora

Coaching staff
Position[19][20]Name
ManagerCalum Elliot
Player/Assistant ManagerKevin Smith
First Team CoachPaul Parkin
Goalkeeping CoachRicky Jensen
Football Operations Co-ordinatorColin Nelson
Community CoachDean Ewing
PhysiotherapistTam McIntyre
Kit ManagerPhil Conroy
Assistant Kit ManagerDale Smart
GroundsmanCraig Surgeon

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).

Managers

Honours

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. This continues to be the official date of foundation given by the club. See Club Info Archived 20 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Cowdenbeath F.C. official website
  4. Letter to the Editor by David Allan, Scottish Football Historian No.47, May/June 1991
  5. 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 Archived 20 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Cowdenbeath F.C. official website
  6. "Ayr United Football Club – Official Website". Ayrunitedfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  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. "Hamilton 1–3 Cowdenbeath". Scottish Football League. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  10. "Play-Off Fixtures for the Coming Week". SPFL. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  11. McLauchlin, Brian (20 May 2017). "Cowdenbeath 1–1 East Kilbride". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  12. Crawford, Kenny (12 May 2017). "Cowdenbeath 3–2 Cove Rangers". BBC Sport. BBC. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  13. "Scottish League Two Table – 2018-19". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  14. "Scottish League 2 2019/2020 Season". skysports.com. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  15. "Funds from fans and friends are a 'lifeline' for Cowdenbeath". centralfifetimes.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  16. David Potter And Phil H. Jones (2011). The Encyclopaedia of Scottish Football. Pitch Publishing. pp. 57–58. ISBN 9781908051103.
  17. "Squad". Cowdenbeath FC. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  18. "Cowdenbeath FC – Blue Brazil Online – Cowden – The Beath – Meet the Board". Cowdenbeath FC.
  19. "First team coaching staff". Cowdenbeath F.C. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  20. "Backroom staff". Cowdenbeath F.C. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  21. "Cowdenbeath also have their troubles to bear". The Herald. 16 October 1993. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  22. "Sammy Conn". Cowdenbeath F.C. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  23. "Managers". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  24. "Cormack arrives at Central Park". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 December 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  25. "Cowdenbeath axe Cormack". The Scotsman. 15 December 2000. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  26. "Wright in after Kirk sacking". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 March 2002. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  27. "Cowdenbeath sack Wright". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 October 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  28. "Cowdenbeath name Baikie as boss". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 October 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  29. "Cowdenbeath part with boss Baikie". BBC Sport. BBC. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  30. "Paatelainen to boss Cowdenbeath". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 August 2005. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  31. "Paatelainen makes Finland return". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 October 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  32. "Welsh named new Cowdenbeath boss". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  33. "Football boss wins legal battle". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  34. "Lennon in charge as Welsh is axed". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  35. "St Mirren conclude deal to make Danny Lennon their new manager". Daily Record. 7 June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  36. "Jimmy Nicholl is confirmed as Cowdenbeath manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  37. "Colin Cameron replaces Jimmy Nicholl at Cowdenbeath". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  38. "Jimmy Nicholl Takes The Hotseat". 30 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  39. "Cowdenbeath: Jimmy Nicholl resigns as boss after relegation". BBC Sport. BBC. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  40. "Cowdenbeath on the hunt for new manager after parting company with Colin Nish". The Courier. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  41. "Cowdenbeath name Colin Nish as new player/manager". The Courier. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  42. "Welcome Liam Fox!". Cowdenbeath FC. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  43. "Liam Fox". Cowdenbeath FC. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  44. "New Managerial Appointment". Cowdenbeath FC. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  45. "Cowdenbeath: Billy Brown replaces Gary Locke as Blue Brazil boss". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  46. "Billy Brown". Cowdenbeath FC. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  47. "Bollan for Blue Brazil". Cowdenbeath FC. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  48. Known as second division prior to 1975
  49. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES – SEASON 1913/14". Scottish Football League. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  50. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES – SEASON 1914/15". Scottish Football League. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  51. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES – SEASON 1938/39". Scottish Football League. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  52. "Cowdenbeath tie up league title in front of jubilant home crowd". The Scotsman. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  53. "SCOTTISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP – SEASON 2005/06". Scottish Football League. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.

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