Stenhousemuir FC
Ground: Ochilview Park
Capacity: 3,746
Club Founded: 1884
League: Scottish Championship (current level)
The town of Larbert, located near Falkirk in the east of Scotland, may be small, but its football club, Stenhousemuir FC, continues with a big heart, adapting its Ochilview Park home and producing results on the pitch.
Early Years
Stenhousemuir FC was formed in 1884 after breaking away from another local club, Heather Rovers. After spells playing at Tryst Park and
Goschen Park, ‘The Warriors’ moved into their Ochilview Park home ground.
Around twenty years later, the club became a member of the Scottish League for the first time. In 1928, Ochilview Park got a new Main Stand after the old structure burnt down. A record crowd of 12,500 flocked to Ochilview Park for the Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against East Fife in 1950.
Innovators and Warriors
The following year, local butcher Tommy Douglas paid for floodlights as the ground hosted the
first floodlit game in Scotland, as the Warriors took on Hibernian. The club's league
status was threatened in the summer of 1964 when Rangers proposed that they, along
with four other clubs, be removed, as they were poorly supported.
Stenny rallied and won support from several clubs, including Celtic, Hamilton Academical and Airdrieonians, to defeat Rangers' plan a few seasons later. Ironically, the Warriors won 2-1 at Ibrox against European Cup Winners' Cup holders Rangers
in the League Cup in 1972-73. The Scottish League was restructured for the 1993-94 season
to include four divisions.
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| The old Dolls' House at Ochilview. Photo taken from the internet |
Success in the 90s
Stenhousemuir were placed in the third tier, Second Division. In 1994-95, the Warriors reached the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup. Ground improvements were carried out, while Stenhousemuir lifted the Scottish Challenge Cup as Dundee United were beaten 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at McDiarmid Park in Perth.
However, the run petered out as the club were relegated for the
first time in their history in 1997-98 as the team found themselves in the
Third Division. A couple of years later, the old ‘Dolls House’ seated stand on the north
side of the ground was demolished as it no longer met the safety
requirements.
The New Millennium
Promotions and relegations followed. Falkirk became tenants while awaiting the completion of their new stadium after leaving Brockville Park. A new roofed terrace was constructed at the Tryst Road end
of the ground in 2005. Meanwhile, the pitch at Ochilview Park was replaced by an artificial surface, increasing revenue streams.
East Stirlingshire became the new
tenants before 'Stenny' went up via the playoffs in 2008-09 after defeating Cowdenbeath on penalties, as Scott Dalziel and Kevin Motion starred. The Warriors were defeated by Rangers in the semi-final of the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2012-13 under the management of Martyn Corrigan.
His replacement, Scott Booth, lasted a year before his assistant, Brown Ferguson, took over.
His side stayed up in the playoffs before the team reached the playoffs, only for promotion, a year later. A victory against Peterhead saw the Warriors regain their League One place.
Colin McMenamin had been appointed as manager by the time the team was relegated in the playoffs to Annan Athletic in 2018-19. Gary Naysmith took the Warriors to the League Two title in 2023-24 and then the League One playoffs the following season, which ended in a semi-final defeat to Airdrieonians.
Alloa Athletic were defeated in the 2025-26 playoff final as Stenhousemuir became a second-tier club in the Championship. Naismith headed to Ayr United to be replaced by Marvin Bartley.
My visit
Sunday 17th January 2016
My visit to Ochilview Park had been totally unplanned until
half an hour before I arrived. I was in the area for that afternoon’s clash
between Falkirk and Hibernian. My planned visit to nearby Camelon Juniors was quicker than I anticipated, meaning a twenty-minute wait for the train back to Falkirk.
It was a cold day, with snow on the ground from the
previous afternoon’s deluge. As a train was due a couple of minutes later for
the short ride to Larbert, and I’d had seen enough of the pub the previous day,
I decided to go for an additional ride.
After a quick look at the map at Larbert station, I was
soon marching along Main Street, past ‘The Brae’ which marked the border
between Larbert and Stenhousemuir and then onto King Street, Tryst Road and
then Gladstone Street to arrive behind the Main Stand.
All gates were closed, and the surrounding walls were large
and imposing. It looked like any hope of a look inside was zero. However, I
wasn’t quite done. When I turned in from Tryst Road, I noticed a further gap in
the houses further up. I went to investigate.
It led behind the north side of the ground and the Warriors Social Club, which was open for business. A few punters were already having a drink and watching the Ross County v Aberdeen game. I asked the fella behind the bar if there was any chance of a look inside the ground. He couldn’t have been more helpful!
I was taken behind the bar, through the back storage room and out of a door that led me into the venue. He was a bit shocked when I wanted to see it in the snow. I explained that I was up for the game at Falkirk Stadium and I’d been in Hull for the game at the KC the day before. He left me alone so I could take some shots.
The Warriors game was abandoned halfway through the previous afternoon because of snow. Ochilview was a smart venue, perfect for its hosts. A large covered terrace was behind the Tryst Road end, which was what most fans of my age yearn for at their club home ground. Everything was neat and tidy.
I asked the gents in the bar if there was anything left of
East Stirlingshire’s old Firs Park ground. It didn’t sound very promising, but
as I could take a bus from the end of the road to the former venue, I decided
to give it a go. The bus was on time, and I was soon in Falkirk, ready for the
next part of my adventure.
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